Different Life
by wubbzy
Summary: Naruto and Sakura stood there, completely flabbergasted. There stood a girl with determined blue eyes, claiming to be the daughter of Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno. He knew it couldn't be possible, but for some reason, he believed her. "Um… Sakura-chan… you never had sex with me without me knowing, did you?" he asked, eyeing her suspiciously. tl;dr update at end of ch. 6. Sorry!
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer:_ I don't own Naruto. Kishimoto does. :/

 _AN:_ Okay, I've just been thinking about it, and well, this idea sprung up, don't ask me how. I need to get this plot bunny out! This is just an experiment to see if this idea is any good. It's been killing me! I've been thinking about this story idea, when I should be finishing up A Favor! I haven't forgotten about my other stories… believe it. xD But yeah, hopefully this will help this story get out of my mind, because it's far too distracting.

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 **Different Life**

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 _The life we could have had_

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 **Chapter 1**

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Naruto couldn't remember the last time he was in a panic. However, it had to be in his younger years, because now, he was more calm and composed.

This was because a Hokage's duties required this type of personality. He wasn't normally one who took action based off of calculative logic.

No, he would take action based off of pure emotion and conviction. Yet, he had to change, because a Hokage needed to be strategic and logical to understand what would be best for the village as a whole.

He had to push his emotions aside and talk like a politician while looking for solutions like a scientist.

He practiced this for quite some time now. Working on concealing his raw emotions for the betterment of the citizens of Konoha.

Yet, somehow, he couldn't hide the emotions when witnessing the final stage of the chuunin exams.

He was excited, and felt reminiscent when he saw Boruto's team. He wondered what Boruto would come up with, for he didn't know the type of techniques that were up his sleeve. Sarada, he knew exactly what she was capable of, and knew no one should underestimate her.

She was trained by the Hokage himself, after all.

Coming to the chuunin exams, these in particular, brought excitement into him again. He watched intensely, eager to see his student and his son in action and see how far they both have come. He remembered when they were simply academy students. He recalled when Boruto would give his face a makeover on the Hokage monument (not too long ago, actually). But Boruto definitely came a long way from those days, and he couldn't have been prouder.

He was curious to see how much his son learned when under the tutelage of his best friend, Sasuke Uchiha.

However, he couldn't bring himself to recall what was happening after that first match. Two ninjas, who weren't even a part of the leaf village, were fighting, and his mind was too focused on it at the very end, everything in his mind drowning out the sounds of the stadium cheering.

He gaped attentively.

Kotetsu Nishino vs. Akane Uzake.

Akane Uzake. She was from Iwagakure, the shinobi village in the Land of Earth. He first noticed her during the preliminary exams, only because she reminded him of Sakura in looks. She resembled Sakura with her pink hair and her similar complexion. Her pink locks were pulled up into two pony tails, and she sported gear like every other genin in the preliminaries. Bandages covered her arms and legs. He quickly dismissed the thought, however, realizing that this girl only stood out because of her pink hair. She had piercing blue eyes, too, which he found glazed with determination and the will to not give up. He didn't think much of it, though.

But he still watched her, amused by her large outburst and her antics that reminded him of himself. She reminded him of when he was a genin taking the chuunin exams.

She had quite a few tricks up her sleeve, he noticed. Her arsenal was full of doton no jutsu's, which made a lot of sense, seeing as she was from Iwagakure.

He especially admired her resilience. He noticed, that his son and her became quick friends, oddly enough. He was reminded of team seven when he saw Boruto, Sarada, and this girl, Akane, interact. It was like a neo - team seven. It made him smile genuinely, relaying the past in his mind: old, halcyon days. Bygone days where all he wanted was to become Hokage to be acknowledged by the villagers and to get a date from Sakura.

Those were simpler days indeed.

He definitely noticed the blush etched on Boruto's cheeks when this girl spoke. She was extremely loud, making sure everyone heard who she was. What was interesting, he observed, was her preliminary fight a month ago.

She declared that her dream was to become Hokage, which was extremely strange, considering she wasn't even from Konoha.

He told himself then, that he would have to keep an eye on this girl, because she seemed way too familiar, and maybe because he liked the thought of a neo team seven.

He felt nostalgic.

Maybe something else. He felt drawn to this girl for reasons he couldn't quite grasp at that moment. However, as he inspected the first match of the chuunin exams, he knew he couldn't just keep watch of this girl.

During that first match, he observed her, but it wasn't until the end that he held onto the rails, eyeing the girl intensely. His expression intensified when her eyes darted towards him, attempting to decipher something he couldn't quite process.

He was shaking, his jaw clenching so tight.

This girl, this girl that resembles Sakura-chan, not only was able to use Kage bunshin no Jutsu, (which was already a bit terrifying because that would mean she had somehow accessed the sacred scroll), but she also used rasengan as her finisher. It was extremely similar to the way he performed it.

The stadium was full of cheer, except for the ninja that were just as confused as Naruto was with the pink haired girl.

 _Did Hokage-sama teach Sarada and this girl?_

 _She's not a part of our village, though._

 _Why would he help her?_

No ninja understood. The rasengan was Naruto's signature move, and only those of the leaf village would know it, those that he taught it to.

He never taught this girl.

Naruto looked over to Shikamaru, and he noticed that Shikamaru most likely reflected the same expression he did.

Fear and uncertainty.

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Naruto sighed with just a bit of relief, happy that the chuunin exams were finally over. He was anxious throughout the entire exam. He discussed it with Shikamaru, but he was already ahead of him, asking ANBU to bring her in for questioning.

It was when he finally got back to the Hokage's tower that the ANBU in charge of interrogation came up to him with news.

"Hokage-sama, she is not cooperating. She only agreed to speak to two people, one of them being you." At this, Naruto only nodded in understanding.

"Good. I wanted to speak with her myself. Could you get anything out of her?"

"Well, you told me not to resort to… other methods of interrogation, so I did not," the ANBU responded. Naruto nodded in understanding.

Naruto was eager to interrogate the girl himself.

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"Could I have some water, please?" she asked, her arms folded in defiance towards the ANBU next to him. She glared at him, and Naruto raised an eyebrow. He sighed.

"Yes, of course. Is there anything else you need?" he asked, as stern as he could muster. The girl that goes by Akane simply giggled a bit and said she was a bit hungry.

"I've been starving all day! These guys didn't let me eat after my match! I've been drained of chakra and I need proper nourishment if you don't want me to faint from chakra depletion," she exclaimed, pouting a bit.

He coughed, "I only have instant ramen."

"Perfect! I'm so hungry I'd eat anything. Ramen sounds really good right now," she explained, her mouth watering. He eyed the girl suspiciously.

"Before I give you food though: why didn't you talk to ANBU?"

"I wanted to speak with you directly, Hokage-sama. If I'm going to be questioned about the techniques I used today, it should be from the man who owns them," she explained, smiling gleefully. "Oh, but that reminds me. I have another request: get rid of mister grumpy over there, with the dog mask. He's been annoying me all day!" Her expression looked frustrated when she looked over to the ANBU, glowering at him. She turned to Naruto and beamed at him.

"I see," he said in thought. She seemed so happy. She smiled at him, and he couldn't bring himself to believe she was a criminal who'd steal sacred techniques. But he couldn't be fooled, either. But her smile, her giggle… He shook his head, bringing his hand to his forehead as he was too incredulous at the thoughts going through his head.

"You remind me too much of someone I know," he couldn't help but chuckle out.

"Haruno-san?" she inquired, and his eyes widened. She sighed knowingly. "It's not that hard to know the three sannin who ended the Fourth Great Shinobi War, who were disciples of the legendary sannin from the Third Great Shinobi War. Please, don't be so shocked," she giggled out, and then she smiled at him.

He was confused.

"You understand why you're being interrogated, correct?"

"I understand and I will cooperate to the best of my abilities," she reassured with a grin, but that didn't put him at ease. That smile reminded him too much of his teammate. "I still feel connected to Konoha, for some reason. I lived in Iwagakure, but I couldn't affiliate myself with them completely. Now that I'm talking with you, I understand why," she elucidated. His brows furrowed.

"Why is that?"

"I-I… I said I will cooperate to the best of my abilities with you, Hokage-sama. However, I don't know if you'll believe me. I'm not sure how much I should say. It's hard for me to believe it myself," she revealed, and Naruto raised a questionable eyebrow. She looked up to him, and her eyes showed fear, biting her lip and shaking a bit. His expression softened. He placed his hand on her shoulder, and she jumped a bit at the contact, her eyes widening.

"Please, Akane-chan, please just explain it to me," he figured that she was just a little girl after all, and she didn't seem harmful, despite all logic. He supposed he never really used logic when he was younger, anyways. He was simply going by his emotions now, something he had not done for quite some time as Hokage. But he did despite himself, maybe because she brought forth a soft spot in him that only one other could.

Either way, his feelings told him this girl would not be a threat. And he duly noted the endearing look she gave him, when he said her name with such an affectionate honorific.

"Well, I-I live in Iwagakure. You know this much. But, I always felt as though I didn't belong there. I received visions, visions of a different life. I was an orphan, and I didn't remember anything from my childhood. But I would get visions," she elaborated. "I would get visions of a different village, much different from Iwagakure. I had visions of a happy life, with my Mama and Papa, and… well, these visions are what I searched for. It was one day, when I was close to death, where an energy surrounded me, and revealed to me all that I had forgotten." She looked to her right, starring at the plain white wall. She was flustered, hoping she would not sound too crazy. Naruto was simply taking this in, not entirely sure where she was headed, but her story raised more questions than answers. He watched her, noticing tears forming in her eyes. She began to bawl.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't supposed to use those techniques. I-I truly wasn't. I remember now how I promised my mama and papa that I would never use them here, because that would raise a lot of suspicion."

"Who taught you those techniques, Akane-chan?"

"My papa," she simply answered, rubbing tears from her eyes. Naruto raised his brow.

"And who is your papa?"

"Well, this may seem a bit odd. But my papa is one of the greatest ninja ever. He is the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village," she declared with pride echoed in her voice.

Naruto was rendered speechless. Silence consumed them both, but her eyes showed nothing but sincerity. He excused himself, stepping out of the interrogation room.

"She is not going anywhere."

"But, her team-"

"I don't care. She's from a different village, claiming outrageous accusations. They're very far-fetched and unrealistic," he explained, but couldn't help but feel connected to that girl somehow. He wasn't sure how, but he did. She held a familiarity that made him want to grin a big toothy smile, and her attitude…

It was uncanny how similar they were.

"Like what?" Shikamaru asked. Naruto breathed, exhaling loudly.

"She thinks I'm her dad. But we make sure no one knows about this, alright? We will hold her here for questioning."

"Where are you going, though?" Shikamaru wondered.

"It's pertinent I speak with someone before I continue to speak with her," Naruto said, about to leave. "Oh yeah, and give her some of my instant ramen. You know where," he ordered before leaving in a breeze.

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He found himself at the Uchiha residence, where he was running over what he would say to Sakura. They hadn't been the best of friends like from when they were teens, but he hoped it wouldn't get too awkward. Their lives diverged despite being friends. He was the Hokage now, and she was a hard working mother. Their lives were much too busy. He couldn't bring himself to see her, anyways. He would feel too guilty.

He couldn't bring himself to see Sakura when he barely saw his own wife and kids.

He mustered up the strength to knock on her door, because as the Hokage, he had business to handle. This would not be a visit as old friends, but one for business purposes. This is what he kept telling himself. It was a mantra he would chant over and over in his head.

He waited until his eyes met emerald ones.

"Naruto," was all she could manage to whisper out, for she was too shocked to see him right there, in front of her. She shook her head, her stupor leaving as soon as it came. "I mean, Hokage-sama," she fixed, realizing that if he came here, it would be for Hokage business. Her lips pursed at the thought. Despite himself, he could feel an old grin creeping up like old times as he let out a short breath.

"Hey, Sakura-chan. What did I tell you about formalities?"

"It's weird seeing the Hokage here of all places, but I figured it was for Hokage business. What brings you here?" she asked with a soft smile. He felt a little offended by his supposed predictability, so he made a point to show his teeth as he grinned towards her.

"I can't just visit an old friend, just to visit anymore?" he teased, and her smile changed to the smallest of smirks.

"Well, it hasn't happened before," she mentioned, and to that, Naruto couldn't help but frown at the thought. He was busy, and maybe there were other reasons for not visiting her, too. He quickly dismissed this thought, however.

"Sorry about that, and you are right, as always. I have a request from you." Sakura's ears perked at this, wondering what he had to request of her and no one else.

"Here, why don't I make some tea for us while you tell me all about this request," she suggested, opening the door and gesturing him in while she went to the kitchen.

"Sakura…" he trailed off, scratching the back of his head.

"Oh, come on, Naruto. You at least owe me this," she urged, and smiled as she told him to stop acting so awkward and get more comfortable.

If at first the atmosphere was awkward, it then became a very comfortable one when Sakura came back with two cups of tea. He decided to ask her about her health, and make sure she has been alright as a single mother. She noted he used the term single, which she might as well have been. She was sure he didn't mean anything by it, but it said a lot to her. She dismissed it either way, and changed the subject to his life. He inwardly cursed to himself, hastily trying to correct himself, but she had already started talking of something else entirely.

They rarely had an opportunity like this, after all.

He got too comfortable. So comfortable, he asked her a question that he knew he'd get punched for if they were younger and if he wasn't the Hokage.

"Um… Sakura-chan… you never had sex with me without me knowing, did you?" he asked, eyeing her suspiciously. Her eyes widened, ready to punch the man despite titles.

"I'll kill you," she seethed, her face heating at the allegation. Of course she would never commit adultery, or anything of the sort. She couldn't believe he would even ask such a thing.

"Please don't kill your Hokage, Sakura. I was just wondering. I need a favor to ask you. Before we continue, you are to be sworn to secrecy, and you mustn't say anything to anyone. I want to keep this as hidden as possible." Sakura nodded, raising a questionable brow at the change in his voice and body language.

"What's wrong?" She sensed the immediacy he had with his words, how urgent this was.

"Come with me," was all he said before he turned to leave.

"You can't expect me to just leave and agree to your request when you haven't even told me-"

"Sakura-chan… please. I'm asking you as my friend," he begged, and she frowned at his words. Friend? The same friend who wouldn't even talk to her in who knows how long? The one who would easily side with her husband, Sasuke, and allow him to leave her own daughter for 12 years? Her lips pursed.

She didn't mean to harbor these feelings, but she couldn't help it. She devoted her life to her daughter, and to know what happened when she fell unconscious was something she was still upset about. Her daughter almost died, and was put through danger because her own husband didn't even recognize his daughter. She was not fond of this, but she knew it was silly to blame other people for what occurred. She sighed, her tense muscles trying to relax.

"Look, I can't say much here. But please, I beg you. I need you. I-I can't do this alone," he implored, and her eyes widened at the need expressed in his voice. She bit her lip, her hands moving to her chest as she realized how, whatever was going on, must have affected him deeply. His hands held onto her shoulders, and she placed her hand over his, a gentle smile forming as she looked at the man before her.

He was a man. There was no denying that. His hands felt big on her shoulders. His grip on her shoulders was tight, but she didn't mind too much. She noticed how tall he's become, how his stature reflected true diplomacy. He held himself like a true politician now, his smile, she had to admit, being extremely charming. This both made her proud, but scared, because this man felt so unfamiliar to her now. He looked at her straight in the eyes, with a pleading look right now, as if no one could help him but her. She wondered if this was the many tricks he learned as Hokage.

"Naruto…" she trailed off, and she knew she couldn't say no to him, not when he looked so vulnerable to her. "You haven't changed, yet you've changed so much," she said, and his grip loosened, looking at her with confusion tinted in his eyes.

"Well, I had to grow up sometime, you know. I had to become the Hokage everyone wants and needs," he stated, and for some reason, her eyes grew solemn because of his words. He seemed to need to be molded into the perfect Hokage. His eyes grew duller, and his smile was fainter to her compared to when they were children. It was charming, but tired. Like a true politician. She assumed hers would reflect something similar, more old and weary than anything else.

But just now, when he looked at her, asking for her help, she was reminded of the old Naruto, who was so determine to make his dreams come true. Sakura realized, she would always have a soft spot for that Naruto.

"I see," was all she said, before she took a step back and looked at him. She laughed. "When you came here, you seemed so panicked, and now you look too relieved," she scrutinized, and he gave her a toothy grin that she didn't expect to ever see again. She figured seeing him grin like that, would only turn to a fleeting memory as the years went by.

"That's because you remind me of our old team seven days, I guess," he assumed, and she smiled back, less enthusiastic.

"Well, if it was so urgent, then we don't have time to play catch up and reminisce about the good ole' days anymore," she reminded, folding her arms, and Naruto put two and two together.

"Thank you, Sakura-chan! Please, follow me."

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When they finally made it into the Hokage's office, he locked the door.

"Sakura, I didn't want to talk to you about this, because I was afraid Sarada-chan was-"

"She was eating out with her team. She wasn't home. You know this," she chided in, not wanting him to give her anymore excuses. Naruto chuckled.

"Yes, well, either way, I didn't want anyone overhearing us. What I have to say, as I mentioned, is top secret." She nodded.

"Okay, well, what do you need me for, and why me in particular?" she asked.

"There is this girl named Akane Uzake in our custody as we speak," he began. "She claims that I'm her father. I-I need you to run DNA test." Sakura's eyes widened.

"N-Naruto, what do you mean? I don't understand. That would mean you-"

"I know what that would mean. And… I know in my heart I never did anything with anyone else while with Hinata - I would never do something like that to her, but… I don't know, I just have this connection with this girl," he admitted. "I think you might too, Sakura-chan." She stared at him with confusion her head tilted to the side.

"What do you mean?" He sighed, not sure if he should really tell her his suspicions.

"I believe she is our child." She quickly denied this, knowing he was being ridiculous.

"Naruto, don't be stupid. That's- That's _impossible_ ," she laughed as if this were all a joke. He looked at her seriously with somber eyes, his facial expression saying to her that he meant what he said, and he wouldn't tease about something like this.

"Meet her, and then tell me it's impossible. Or don't, I just need you to run a DNA test. Of yours as well, to see if we're her parents." She spluttered, not even comprehending what he said, because it was all too much. It was all ludicrous!

"Naruto, that's ridiculous. You know we never did anything," she offered, looking down. He smiled bitterly.

"I know. But it's still possible, isn't it? I mean, there are other ways to have a child without, you know…" he trailed off, hoping she knew what he meant. She understood. "Although, what concerns me most, is she used my signature techniques."

"Maybe she has a kekkei genkai that allows her to copy certain moves, like with the Sharingan," Sakura offered, quickly denying the idea of such a thing. "Naruto, I don't know if you've been stressed, but you seem tired. I noticed that immediately when I saw you. Maybe you need some sleep, maybe you're feeling ill, because what you're telling me… Well, it can't be possible. You should go home and rest and-" she started, going to him and attempting to move him to his seat, when he stepped back, lashing out.

"Sakura!" He didn't mean to yell, his voice so deep and rigid to her ears, but he needed her to listen to him. She was denying, with good reason, but he wanted her to comprehend, and grasp why he was so adamant on her seeing the girl. "I lied, I actually want you to meet her. Meet her, please. Then you'll understand. I feel so connected to her. She reminds me of both of us. She's… she's everything I imagined our daughter would be," he confessed, and she stood stupefied at his words. "She looks just like you, Sakura-chan. Her smile, it's just like yours. She has my blue eyes, and she's extremely brash, you should have seen her at the chuunin exams. Everything about her, she's just so… so _us_." He laughed bitterly, "Maybe I am going fucking crazy. Maybe I'm just imagining it, maybe it's my desires that are making me see things that aren't there. But… but I just can't let this go."

"Naruto, what are you saying?" she asked, a frown etched on her face. Her heart, she couldn't believe his words. Why would all this be happening now? She couldn't believe him. She had desires too, but she pushed them down, burying them as deeply into the depths of her heart as she possibly could. Any could've, would've, should've, were only in the past, she would tell herself. They both chose their paths, and they both needed to look at the future with the lives they chose. He couldn't just exhume these old feelings, everything she hoped for in the past. No, her regrets would remain locked up in chains. But his words, she wasn't sure if she truly wanted to hear his truths, his true desires.

His desires could jeopardize everything.

Naruto's hands were clasped over his face, shaking his head.

"I don't know what I'm saying anymore, Sakura-chan. I just… This has to be a sign, right? I feel like I've made so, so many mistakes. I'm a horrible person."

"Naruto, please. Don't talk poorly of yourself. It doesn't suit you. You're one of the greatest people I know. You know that."

"But… I shouldn't have doubts, like I do now. Sometimes, regret would be at the forefront of my mind, but then of course I don't think much of it. I'm the Hokage, I'm supposed to live with it for the sake of my family and village. But with this girl, with my thoughts becoming reality…. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be talking to you like this. I just really need you to do me this favor. Please, could you just run the blood test, just to humor me, if for nothing else?" Tears formed in her eyes.

"And what about afterwards, huh? Let's just say, the results come back positive, then what? Naruto, you realize that all this is absurd, right?" she tried to reason. And he scoffed a bit, knowing all too well that it was absurd.

"I realize that. She could very well be lying. But, I believe her. And I don't know what will happen or what I expect to happen, I just have to _know. I have to know for sure._ " He seemed so desperate, so troubled. She stared at him, trying to figure out what was reeling through his brain. It boggled her mind to see him in such a state over something that seemed too ludicrous for her to even grasp the concept of. It took a few moments, hearing his heavy pants and his vulnerable expression, but she soon sighed, deciding she would relent. It was the only way to put his mind at ease.

"Okay, Naruto. I'll humor you. I'll meet her, and I'll run blood test _for you_. But I'm telling you, that it's not possible. You know deep down, that that's the truth. You have a wife, and two kids for crying out loud!"

"I know."

"I'm married to your best friend, and have a daughter that _you_ trained yourself."

"I know."

"So then, what are you hoping for with all this?" she asked, urging him to tell her the truth, yet afraid of the answer.

"I don't know," he simply said. "Sakura, I don't know why, I just have this strong feeling. I just, have to _know_." Sakura frowned, looking at the desperate man before her. She knew there was no possibility that any child could be theirs. Her teeth gnawed at her bottom lip.

Sakura then scoffed, "Geez, the things you have me doing. This is insane, Naruto." He laughed bitterly at her teasing nature.

"I realize that more than you know."

She giggled, "You know, next we're going to have to run some psyche test on you. Make sure those endless stacks of papers aren't getting to you." He gazed up to her and genuinely grinned at her. He was so tired, but relieved.

He didn't mention it to her, because he knew she'd say how crazy he was and deny it. Maybe he was going crazy, but he could have sworn, both Sakura's and Akane's giggle were nearly identical, with the same soft expression and the same look in their eyes.

He was crazy for believing, without a doubt, that Akane Uzake was their daughter.

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 _AN:_ I was going to use Mai-chan, from my one-shot, Mockingbird, but I thought against it, haha. Different times. xD I was going to make this into a one-shot, but this would end up getting waaaay too long, so this will be a multichapter fic (I'm sorry! X_X).

Either way, I hope you guys found this enjoyable, and I hope you review to tell me what you think! This is mostly experimentation, so let me know if it's any good or not, or if I should totally nuke this idea and be ashamed for writing this. Sorry if it seems a bit rushed, but I wasn't intending for this fic to be too long. If this is a waste, I'll delete it, but I just wanted to get it out there and share my idea because I wanted to show a different life they could have had. xD


	2. Chapter 2

_AN:_ First, I'd like to apologize for this chapter taking so long to finish! The Gaiden chapter kind of threw me off a bit (your reviews, favs, and alerts are what kept me going, though). Thank you soooo much! I'm so glad so many people are enjoying my story so far! I hope you will continue to enjoy it! There will be spoilers from the recent chapter, also, so be warned.

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 **Chapter 2**

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Sakura couldn't believe what was going on, and such timing, too. This had to be the worst time this could have happened.

Naruto was so adamant on this, yet it was _impossible_ for his suspicions to be true. He was being unbearable right now.

Things weren't going well with her husband, either. Her faith was fading in her marriage, but she knew she had to stay strong. She had to stay strong for Sarada. She told herself long ago that her child would come first. She would focus on being the best mother she could, because she knew she was all Sarada really had.

Ever since she was rescued from the men with Sharingan eyes decorating their body, she saw exactly how Sarada and Sasuke were not on speaking terms.

Sasuke didn't even give Sarada a reason for her to forgive him. Sarada's attitude towards her father became even more acrimonious when he left them again. He had to gather more information after the shocking revelation of this new enemy. This did not help his relationship with his daughter, however.

Sarada's attitude towards Sakura, at first, was not the best, either.

Sakura, however, was having none of that. She protested against Sarada's words, baffled that Sarada would say such cruel things to her when they met up again.

She was definitely Sasuke's child.

But Sarada, no matter whose DNA matched any test results, was _her_ daughter. She raised her, and she was the one who cared for her all this time.

Sarada was still upset at the fact that everyone lied to her, but she was slowly easing up again towards her, which relieved quite a few of her worries. She wasn't sure what would happen if Sarada continued to resent her. There was still a feeling of doubt in her, however.

She knew Sarada would want to seek out Karin.

It was only a matter of time.

Sakura and Sasuke weren't exactly on speaking terms at the moment as well. She couldn't help but wonder when they ever were. But she still tried to keep things together. She still tried to reach out to him, but he was too enwrapped in his mission. She understood. She understood that he wanted to protect the village. She was being as logical as she could, because her emotions would steer her towards resentment for her husband. Any more antipathy and bitterness in the family would surely tear them apart.

Sakura grimaced.

Naruto came to her with this ridiculous nonsense at a time like this.

She was just getting back in the swing of things. With Sarada becoming a genin and on more missions, along with training with Naruto during the chuunin exams, Sakura was not only able to finally get back to the hospital, but pay off the debt for the Uchiha mansion.

If things seemed bleak before, Sakura was finally able to see a sliver of light in the dark abyss that was her life. Things were starting to finally look up.

After finding Sarada, Naruto, and Sasuke, she couldn't help but feel rather disappointed.

Sarada was still angry at her father, but she didn't blame her. She hoped that that would soon dissipate, but alas, she still felt harsh feelings towards him. She was trying so hard to keep it together, to pretend that everything was okay, for Sarada, but it was difficult. She still couldn't have a real conversation with Sarada anymore, after everything she found out.

She couldn't even have a true conversation with Sasuke when they met, because he was already off again.

She hated it. She knew it was for a mission, but at the same time, he should have been able to stop by and meet his daughter once.

She was supposed to remain faithful, but she doubted.

"You have the worst timing, Naruto."

"What?"

"You talk about this when Sarada is finally getting back to normal. After meeting her father, and finding out about Karin, she has been resentful towards me and Sasuke," Sakura confessed, and Naruto nodded, understanding exactly what she meant.

"Sakura-chan, I'm sorry-"

"Naruto, please. Just don't…don't apologize. I'm sure you already know, but my family isn't exactly rainbows and sunshine. Something getting out like this, even if it's only an accusation and it's not true, would tear us apart completely. Sarada is not fond of her father. She still looks at me with disappointment," she bit back bitterly, and Naruto knew what she meant. He held off on his urge to console her, because he knew there was nothing he could say to make it better at the moment.

Silence permeated the atmosphere, with a tension that perturbed him, but he understood. He learned when he should just listen.

He thought back to a conversation he had with Sarada while he was training her for the chuunin exams.

.

"I hate my father," Sarada spat one training session. She was heaving after attempting to master the Rasengan, her chakra depleting from all her efforts. Her fingernails dug into the ground. "You said I need to focus on the task at hand, but I can't get over what my family has done. I don't understand my mother at all, either. I don't understand how she could allow him to treat us like we're simply an afterthought. I had to hear from Boruto that he was in the village again. He's training _him_. He didn't bother to tell either of us."

"Sarada-chan, please, your father loves you," he started, but Sarada interjected.

"Lies! Don't lie to me again. I'm tired of your lies," she snapped, upset with the Hokage lying to her. She was upset that _everyone_ was lying to her. She exhaled, remembering she was still talking to the Hokage. "I'm sorry, I just don't even understand how my Mama and Papa got together, let alone got married. It's stupid. Sakura isn't even my real mother, yet she still..." she trailed off, averting her eyes to the ground, disappointed in her family, in her expectations. "If this is what a marriage is supposed to be like, then I never want to get married."

"Sarada-chan," he began, about to continue his thought, but Sarada interrupted again.

"I know what you're going to say, but my mind is made up. If what you said before was true, then Sakura is the only family I have. Neither my biological mother nor father were there for me. He didn't want to be there for me and continues to not be the father figure I need in my life. I still haven't met my real mother. My mother said that being a parent is more than just passing on genes. She tried to justify that she was there instead of my actual mother. But I asked her, if that's true, then what does that say about Papa? He just passed on his genes, but didn't bother to even come once to see me for twelve years. _Twelve years_ ," Sarada yelled, her words harsh. Naruto could sense the pain in her voice, too. Sarada sardonically laughed, "Mama couldn't say anything after I brought up Papa, because she knew I was right. She just said that Papa loves me. Just like you keep trying to tell me. But I don't care anymore, I can't believe that when he hasn't proven it to me. Actions speak louder than words. And Papa doesn't even have words for me." Naruto could only frown.

"Sarada-chan, I hope someday you will be able to understand. Sometimes, ninja have a duty, and have to sacrifice-"

"That's so stupid, though! Why even have a family in the first place? If he cared, he wouldn't have brushed me off to the side. I see now why Mama never talked about him or even knew if he had glasses. I would envy the kids who had fathers, upset that they wouldn't appreciate them, but now I understand why."

"Being a parent is hard work, Sarada-chan."

"Something my father skipped out on," she mentioned, and Naruto sighed, not sure what to say anymore. "I'm sorry, I've just been upset thinking how even on a mission, he still didn't have the decency to even see me once. Or my mom, she couldn't tell me anything about him. But I guess I see why she knows nothing about him," Sarada said. Naruto frowned, placing his palm over his forehead in thought.

She did have a lot to deal with. He figured she just needed to vent for now.

"Your mother worked really hard for you, you know. She sacrificed a lot to try to keep your family together. I'm sorry, Sarada-chan, that things turned out this way. But I know your mom is really trying hard. She's trying to be strong for you," he defended. And Sarada scoffed.

"I don't need her trying to be strong for me. I wish she could see how many problems we actually have. She probably does but just doesn't want to admit it. She pretends like everything is okay, but I know, it's not. I hear her cry at night all the time. I just don't say anything." Naruto frowned at this, feeling more upset than he should at the thought.

" _Sasuke…."_ Naruto thought, clenching his fist. He remembered when they first found out that Sarada's true mother was Karin. He remembered it clearly. He was outraged at the thought, his chest rising higher and his eyes sharp and filled with rage. He didn't understand how this could happen, but he knew he wanted to hurt Sasuke for his foolishness.

Instead of focusing on his anger, however, he remained calm and scrutinized Sarada. He had no time to be upset himself. He saw Sarada's pain, and saw her hatred towards him, Sasuke, Sakura – everyone. She harbored strong feelings after everything she went through, and she had a right to. After her words filled with venom, Naruto looked at her with wise eyes. He did not sputter, he did not turn away from her, but he explained the importance of parenting.

He admitted to both Sasuke and himself being lousy parents. However, he had to defend Sasuke, mention that her father is a true asset to the village, someone that is so powerful, that he had to set him out on missions.

"All that anger should really be on me, Sarada-chan," he even said. He failed to mention how Sasuke sought out the mission himself. But he hoped to diffuse some of her hatred for her father.

He knew how it felt to be hated by his child, after all.

But he understood, why she hated Sasuke at the moment nonetheless.

But Sakura… Sarada was lucky to have Sakura's love. She was lucky, and should be grateful that Sakura loved Sarada as though she was her own. Even if she was upset, she needed to remember that Sakura was the one that was there.

Just like back then, Naruto looked up at Sarada with thoughtful eyes.

"Sarada-chan, no matter what, you should know that even if it doesn't seem like it, your father still loves you. You don't have to trust me right now, but someday you will see for yourself and understand. I'm sure he'll come around," he advised, and Sarada sighed. He grinned, one with genuine warmth. "If he doesn't, I'll kick his ass for both of you. And no matter what, you will still have your mother. And I'm always here too, if you need me," he added, happy to see the thankful look on her face.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," she said, truly grateful.

.

"I'm still not convinced you understand how creating a child works, Naruto," Sakura teased, and Naruto chuckled a bit as he grinned at her. They were now walking towards the interrogation room where Akane was held.

"Well, I do have two of my own, you know," he disputed, and Sakura nodded, a sly smile forming.

"And yet you still think it's possible we have a child together," she chided, and Naruto frowned.

"We've already had this discussion. You don't have to believe me. I'm still a bit skeptical myself. But there's some things that won't lie. She said she didn't have any recollection until one night, when it came to her all at once. She said an energy surrounded her. Either way, as the Hokage, I have to get to the bottom of this and at least look into what she has to say. This is the first step," he announced, and Sakura nodded. His mind was made up, and she knew that no matter what, he would still have to look into this girl and her background, anyways.

There was no getting around this.

As they made it to the room, Sakura was hesitant about going in.

"I'm going to watch from the window, it'll be easier to check if she is bluffing from there. Go in and talk to her for a bit. See how much information you receive from her, and then get whatever you need to run the tests," he ordered, and she nodded, opening the door finally and making her way inside. Naruto moved to the glass window, watching intently.

When Sakura walked through the door, he noticed the hint of surprise that ran through the Iwagakure ninja's face.

Then she smiled – genuinely happy. It was easy for him to tell.

He beamed.

Whether Sakura liked it or not, Akane believed she was reuniting with her mother.

.

"It's nice to meet you, Uzake-san," Sakura greeted. She scrutinized the girl, the first thing she noticed was actually her striking blue eyes that shined with cheerfulness. She bit her lips, understanding what Naruto meant by her reminding him of them. She saw Naruto in those eyes. She noticed her bright pink hair, but quickly dismissed that though, thinking that there are other's with pink hair as hers.

She wouldn't allow herself to believe something that wasn't logical.

"It's very nice to meet you…. Um, Haruno-san," Akane said sheepishly, a bit flustered. Sakura took a seat across from her, folding her arms on the table as she tried to be as casual as possible.

"I've been told that I should meet you. And I can see why."

"I'm glad that you did. You're very beautiful," Akane complimented, and Sakura blushed.

"Thank you. I'm just here to have a small chat and do a buccal test," Sakura informed.

"Aah, I see. Hokage-sama told you," she assumed, and Sakura nodded.

"Yes. You do realize what you're implying, don't you? The Hokage and I... Well, it's not possible for us to be your parents, you know."

"I know you two aren't my parents _here_. However, there is a place where you two are my parents. It came to me in my dreams. I was with you two, and we were happy." Sakura eyed the girl strangely.

"Please, tell me more about this place, and your parents."

"The place I lived, is exactly like Konoha. I know almost every corner. I know where everything is. When I came here with my team, they wondered how I knew so much. I couldn't give them a straight answer. But I knew that the moment I walked through those gates... Konoha is – was my home," she elaborated. "The first thing I did when I got here, was to find Ichiraku's. Even more memories came back," she giggled. "Papa loves that place a lot. I went to the academy and knew I spent quite a lot of time there, too. The Konoha Park, the Yamanaka Flower Shop, the hospital, even the Hokage Tower, Papa's office. It was all so familiar."

Akane smiled brightly at the fond memories she most desperately wanted back. She fought the urge to cry, however. She was better than that.

"My mama and papa were amazing. They were the strongest people I know. They were amazing parents to me. My mother was the greatest medical ninja. She worked in the hospital, but let me watch sometimes. You wanted me to be a medical ninja, too. I would spend a lot of time at the Hokage Tower, though, with Papa. I always wanted to be Hokage. He would show me all the cool jutsu sometimes, too. You always got mad at Papa for that, though." Akane paused, her lips pursing at the expression Sakura gave her. "I'm sorry, Ma-Haruno-san," she corrected. She recognized that look. Sakura was in deep thought, wondering what she were to do with this new information. Akane knew she would always look like that when given a problem at the hospital to solve, or dealing with her father at times. "I-I shouldn't be saying these things," she stammered. Sakura shook her head.

"No, I would like for you to continue. Let me just get the Hokage," she reassured, slipping out as quickly as she could.

Before she left, Akane spoke.

"To be honest, my memory is still a bit blurry to me of how I got here exactly. But I guess it was a jutsu Papa was working on. Well, with a lot of help... Uncle Sasuke was working hard with Papa, too. But Papa knew all kinds of jutsu. He decided just because he would be Hokage, doesn't mean he will not practice and train to protect his precious people. He always said that. He would leave every morning and train so he didn't get rusty. He learned all kinds of jutsu. I wanted to learn them all, too, but the only ones he taught me were Kage Bunshin no Jutsu and Rasengan. Mama wasn't happy about that," she giggled at the thought. "There were times Papa got really busy, though. But… he would always come back to us. _Always._ He said, that he wanted to spend every second with us, and he tried his best. He was Hokage, and the Hokage has a lot of responsibilities, but we both helped him realize that he shouldn't miss out on us…" Akane trailed off, realizing she was rambling a lot again. She looked at Sakura and watched her process all this.

"So then are you implying you are from a different world?" she asked skeptically. And Akane gave her a toothy grin.

"If I outright said yes, you would think I'm delusional, wouldn't you?" Akane knew she needed more than just words to erase the doubt in her eyes. Akane still wasn't sure how she got here, but she knew she had to be from a different place.

She may seem crazy, but she felt so strongly about this, so sure.

"I'll go get the Hokage," Sakura merely said, before making her way out.

.

"Well she sure has your mouth, Naruto." She shook her head, shivering a bit as her arms moved across biceps.

"So you believe me? Believe her?" he presumed in awe. She shook her head.

"No, of course not. There has to be a logical explanation for this. The DNA results will prove it."

"But what if she's right? You know different dimensions are possible. What if it's true? She even knew about Ichiraku's!"

"Naruto, the whole world knows about Ichiraku's because of you," she reprimanded, shaking her head and crossing her arms as she leaned against the wall.

"Sakura-chan, but still… What if there was a world where we were together? Where we were happy? _Truly_ happy? I'm not talking about here, where I'm trying to bury all my regrets. I'm talking about a world where we were together, and we had a child, that had your pink hair, and my blue eyes? Where we continued to do what we loved and still be together?"

"Naruto... don't."

"But what if there was? What if there was a world where we were happier together?"

"Naruto… that world… it doesn't exist. Not here," she said in between a whimper. "It can't."

"Why not?"

"Because I already have enough regret! I-I don't need anymore. I told you, I need to focus on the family I have." Her heart ached too much already. She didn't want to be put through any more pain. Not anymore. The family she has is already broken. She's been trying so hard to keep it together, knowing it was broken.

" _I'm broken,"_ she thought. Her eyes brimming with tears.

"Sakura-chan…" At that moment, he wished he could mend her heart. She was broken. She was put through so much, and she was shattered by all the impacts life seem to hit her with.

She was convinced, that this was her reality that she had to live with. There was no going back, but moving forward and settling for what was given.

He couldn't help but think, that somewhere else, she wouldn't be crying like this. She would be smiling, with him by her side, and their daughter in his arms.

Somewhere else, he hugged her, kissed her, and protected her, like he always wanted. Where he could say I love you, with her adoringly saying those words back. Where she would give him the same look that he always imagined she would.

He longed for this, because he now knew, she would be happy with him.

It had to all be a sign. He wasn't sure if it was a gift or a curse, because he wasn't sure if all this would just reveal to him the mistakes he made.

More regrets. More pain.

"I've made enough mistakes in my life, Sakura-chan."

"I have as well."

"That's why I want to know."

"Why so much wishful thinking?"

"Because, what if it's a gift? A chance at happiness?" Naruto asked, excitement brimming in his eyes. She looked at him with tear stained eyes, feeling like a teenager again, feeling the same energy he did once more.

She turned away from him.

He had a way of doing that, she presumed.

"I have enough problems to deal with, Naruto. I'm sorry. I'll do the DNA test, for you, but that's it," she said.

"That's all I ask. Thank you." He embraced her, truly grateful. "You don't know how much this means to me." When he released her, she smiled tenderly at him, even when a troubled feeling was forming in the pit of her stomach. Her heart raced at his words - at his touch, but she dismissed it, burying this feeling just like she did all those years ago.

.

Both Naruto and Sakura came into the interrogation room this time, and Akane grinned cheerfully at seeing them together.

Sakura did what she said she would do. She would do a buccal test, get the DNA of all three of them, and finally prepare the samples to analyze their DNA.

"I need to go take this down to the lab. It was nice meeting you, Akane-san. I'll see you later, Hokage-sama," she said before making her departure. Naruto frowned.

"She's being so serious," Akane noticed, pouting. She wasn't used to this. She knew her mother was the rational one of the two, but she never saw her like this. It made her wonder what was wrong, the sensation of false politeness in her voice as she talked with Akane.

"She'll come around, Akane-chan."

"As a ninja, I figured you two wouldn't believe me. That makes sense," she chuckled half-heartedly. "But, you believe me, don't you," she stated more than questioned. Her eyes were glimmering with hope.

"Well, as the Hokage, it's easy for me to tell, you know. I'm the best at reading people," Naruto gloated with a cheeky smile, and Akane couldn't help but roll her eyes. Some things would never change.

But she was still happy. She was excited that he understood.

"Thank you," she exclaimed. She hugged him, her heart leaping at the feeling. This felt normal. This felt like her father.

Before, she felt like this feeling would only be a distant memory. She missed this feeling.

She was at peace.

However, she quickly snapped out of her stupor, stepping back and bowing her head in apology.

Just because he didn't think she was lying, didn't mean he'd easily take her in and show her affection. He barely knew her, after all.

"I'm sorry, Pa-um, uh, I mean, Hokage-sama," she spluttered, her cheeks painted red in embarrassment at the mistake. She knew better than to call them what she used to. She was too excited to control herself this time, unfortunately.

Naruto chuckled, "It's alright. I understand. It must be hard," he concluded, and she nodded, her face down casted.

"By the way, what's going to happen to me now? Am I stuck here for the night, because if so, I have a few complaints," she began, crossing her arms. "It's not right to just lock me up here, you know. I have responsibilities, a team, too. Also, since you're the Hokage, you should know the results of the Chuunin Exams, don't you? Did I become a chuunin?"

Naruto's eyebrow furrowed at all the questions she had. As Sakura put it, she definitely had his mouth, which made him chuckle.

"What's so funny?" she asked, her eyebrows perched together in confusion.

"It's nothing. I just didn't think you'd be thinking of the chuunin exams after all this. But that's up to the Tsuchikage. You're right. You shouldn't be locked up in here all day and night. But someone needs to keep a close eye on you," Naruto said.

"Don't tell me you're going to place ANBU on me?" she deadpanned. If they were anything like the previous ANBU, they'd be really intolerable.

"I still have to think about that. Maybe after we talk over Ichiraku's-"

"Really?" she asked, her face brightening. Naruto shot a toothy grin, wondering more and more, how she couldn't be their daughter.

.

Sakura made her way into the research lab, familiarizing herself with it once more. It had been a while since she was here. The last time she remembered being here was when she worked here for a bit, helping understand new regeneration techniques after Naruto and Sasuke lost their arms in battle. The memory still gave her an odd feeling. Those were the days where things were easier, she realized.

Raising a child by yourself was a lot of work, after all.

"Sakura-san?" a researcher questioned. "It's unexpected to have you here! Welcome!" He bowed. Sakura smiled.

"Hello, I just need to use the lab, and more specifically, the PCR machine. Is it in use?" she asked

"Not at the moment, but I believe someone else was going to-"

"This is urgent," she cut in. "I have orders from the Hokage himself to use the lab."

"Oh, I see. My apologies," he said, although a bit peeved that his time would be wasted waiting when he had important work to do. Although, this was the famous Haruno Sakura, who had direct orders from the Hokage himself. He could do nothing but accept the inevitable.

He left the lab, and Sakura got to work, preparing the samples to run DNA analysis on.

She was determined to prove Naruto wrong. She did admit, that the Akane girl did resemble her, and acted so much like Naruto it hurt. But she had to be the practical one here.

Naruto was obviously out of his mind at the moment. He was being a fool.

She was faced with the hard reality that nothing could be changed. The only thing she herself could do right now, was attempt to reconcile her family's qualms, and make the best of what she had now.

There was no setting back the clock.

She desperately hoped, that running these test would prove to Naruto that anything he believed about this girl, any possibilities he had of her being their daughter, was just wishful thinking.

.

 _AN:_ Hope y'all like the second chapter! I'll probably edit this tomorrow. I didn't want to keep you guys waiting for too long (or another WTF moment to happen in the manga haha). Sorry I went off with the Sarada flashback, haha. This fic might be longer than I expected. I'm writing so much for each chapter, because I feel like there's a lot I need to explain, and a lot I want to happen. Sorry if it's going too slow, but yeah, thought this was the appropriate pace. Hopefully it doesn't get longer than 10 chapters, haha.

And I'm sorry, but DNA test taking a few seconds by just plopping it on a platform, like in Gaiden, is not accurate lol. As a biochem major, I didn't have the heart to BS that like Kishi did, lol.

Also, thank you again for all the reviews, favorites, and alerts! I didn't expect this fic garner much attention, but I really appreciate it and was shocked that it has! Honestly, with everything happening in Gaiden, everyone's reviews were uplifting and what kept me writing when I'd get frustrated, haha. So thank you from the apex of my heart! Let me know what you think of this chapter! If there's any questions or theories, please don't hesitate to ask/let me know! I love hearing them!


	3. Chapter 3

_AN:_ I apologies for not having this ready sooner. Life kinda hit me hard. It's been a bit of a struggle to write recently. I would also like to address that this was written before the ending to Gaiden, where we find out Sarada is Sakura's daughter. Although I know the outcome, Sarada will still be Karin's daughter here (honestly how it was written in Gaiden, it was 50/50), since I was writing this before the ending, and will mean I would have to change a lot, which I rather not do. But here you guys go! I hope you guys like it!

" _I used to think that the worst thing in life was to end up all alone. It's not. The worst thing in life is ending up with people who make you feel all alone"_ \- Robin Williams

.

 **Chapter 3**

.

Akane felt nostalgic.

"Oh man, I'm so excited!" Akane exclaimed, walking with the Hokage right beside her. She was hyper and eager to parade around the village with Naruto. She felt as though he was her actual dad. She remembered this scene being all too familiar: Akane and her father walking down the streets of Konoha, with Naruto talking to the villagers and helping them as they made their way to Ichiraku's. She used to complain about how she was starving and how her father would take too long as a child, but now she was more delighted than anything to see that it felt as though nothing had changed.

Same ole, same ole.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama. I don't know what I'd do without my pet cat," a little girl exclaimed as she pets her cat, Pa. Naruto simply chuckled, ruffling the little girl's hair.

"Don't worry too much about it. Just make sure to keep her out of harm's way next time," he told her. The little girl nodded and she ran off.

"Sorry for all the interruptions, Akane-chan. I'm sure you're starving by now," Naruto said, figuring she must have been annoyed that he constantly had to stop and address villagers. However, this was part of his job – plus, they were his family, too.

Akane couldn't help but smile.

This scene was indeed, very nostalgic.

She shook her head no. "It's no trouble at all, I'm used to it. It's part of the job, after all."

Naruto held a serene smile in thought as he looked off into the distance. He couldn't even imagine what his life would be like with a different family, with this girl right beside him.

"Was something like this a normal occurrence?" he asked curiously. She tilted her head in thought and then a toothy grin arose.

"Definitely! I can't even remember when I first tried Ichiraku ramen! Probably when I was old enough to eat it because you were there whenever momma was too busy at the hospital to cook, or you didn't feel like cooking. And you _never_ felt like cooking," she said, remembering the memories. Naruto's smile brightened.

"Especially anything with vegetables in it," she continued, making a disgusted face. "But hey, I never complained, of course. Your cooking was really nasty." She began to giggle, her face scrunching up as though she tried something sour.

Naruto smiled, his eyes gleaming with hope, feeling as though this memory should belong to him, too.

 _Maybe._ He couldn't help but think that maybe they could all create new memories together.

"What's your favorite type of ramen then?" he inquisitively asked.

"Well, of course miso ramen with extra pork is the best at Ichiraku's!" Naruto smiled, feeling the exact same way.

"You have great taste! Me too!" Naruto gave her a thumbs up.

"I already know that," she giggled out at his typical dorky self. Her father would never change. He was always incredibly dorky. However, his easygoing self and all his quirks made her feel as though he was the greatest dad in the word.

"Hokage-sama!" Teuchi greeted, excited. "I haven't seen you here in who knows how long!"

"Don't worry, I always get my ramen delivered! Unfortunately, issues pop up one after another! It's hard to keep up," Naruto explained, and Teuchi nodded in understanding.

"You sure work hard. Maybe too hard. Your face changed quite a bit!"

"Yeah, the bags under his eyes says a lot. You seem as though you need more sleep!" Ayame observed as she walked up to them. Naruto chuckled, nodding.

"I wish. I definitely hold more respect for Tsunade-baachan than when I was a kid. No wonder she drank a lot," Naruto said, and they all laughed.

"Well, is it going to be the usual for you, Naruto?" Teuchi questioned. Naruto nodded eagerly.

"You bet!" He looked towards Akane, smiling.

"If I remember correctly, you like miso ramen too, right?" Akane instantly brightened at the thought, excited that Teuchi remembered her even in this world.

"Most definitely!" she exclaimed, her eyes brimming with enthusiasm and her mouth drooling at the thought.

"You've been coming here almost every day for the past month. I hope I wouldn't get too old," Teuchi joked, and they all chuckled.

.

"Dad? Akane-chan? Akane-chan, what are you doing with my _dad_?" Boruto questioned, raising an eyebrow at the peculiar scene. Both his teammates Sarada and Mitsuki stood beside him, wondering something similar. It was rather odd of his dad leaving his desk, let alone come down to Ichiraku's at regular hours. Naruto generally had his ramen delivered to him.

"Boruto, hey!" Naruto turned and waved in the middle of slurping up a mouthful of noodles. Boruto looked at him questioningly, seeing as his father seemed different than how he usually is. It made him feel uncomfortable - unsettled. However, Akane's bright smile changed that, making a small smile crawl up his face.

"Hi, Boruto-kun! The Seventh was just talking to me about possibly staying here a little longer," Akane interjected, a wide grin spreading across her face. "I really like it here, and I made so many new friends. I hope we can spend more time together!"

"Really? That's great!" Boruto exclaimed, a huge grin plastered on his face now. They all agreed. During the chuunin exams, they became close friends.

"What about your team? Are they staying as well?" Sarada wondered. Akane shrugged.

"I don't know, actually. They haven't said anything to me, but I think they'll be heading back tomorrow like originally planned." Sarada nodded, her mind already reeling with thoughts and possibilities with this new information. Sarada was extremely calculative. She couldn't just brush off the Hokage's technique that Akane seemed to use so effortlessly. Of course the Hokage couldn't just stand there and let a ninja from a different village walk away without at least an explanation for this.

But the mystery fascinated Sarada. She wanted to know why an Iwagakure ninja was able to use the Hokage's techniques. She looked up to the Seventh during the chuunin exams, watching his eyes widen with clear astonishment.

This told her that it was unexpected for him, too.

However, this didn't explain why they were here at Ichiraku's, having a meal. Although, she had to admit, this would be like her sensei to do. The first day of her first training session, Naruto treated her to ramen.

This girl, Akane, became a good friend to her. She was a loudmouth, and she was initially annoyed with the girl, not expecting much from her. However, by the end of the chuunin exams, Akane got Sarada interested and intrigued by her as well.

Sarada made sure to watch her carefully.

Admittedly, there was also an unspoken rivalry. Sarada remembered the pink haired girl boast about how she would become Hokage at times.

Sarada's dream is to become Hokage, too, after all.

And also…

Sarada looked over to Boruto, noticing the blatant blush adorning his cheeks when he stared at the girl. Her lips pursed, annoyed.

She was definitely going to keep an eye on her.

Sarada quickly got back to the situation at hand when she heard her sensei's voice.

"Would you like to join us?" Naruto asked.

"Of course!" Sarada said, smiling towards both Akane and her mentor.

"What did you think of us? Did you see my match? You left before I could ask you," Sarada reminded. Naruto nodded, a big grin forming.

"Definitely! Wouldn't miss it for the world!" Naruto's grin spread.

"Yeah, but you miss everything that goes on with your actual family," Boruto muttered, crossing his arms. Sarada and Akane both saw the pain in his eyes, frowning at the sight of the boy looking away with his arms crossed.

Naruto's face was stern, in thought at first, but soon smiled when Teuchi walked over. He dismissed his son's harsh words, peeved at the thought. He also felt guilty at the thought, knowing it was honest, to say the least.

Things were difficult. His job left a toll on him, and he himself couldn't forgive himself for being such a bad father and husband.

"Boruto, I was really impressed with your performance at the Chuunin exams as well. Sasuke trained you well," Naruto complimented, and Boruto's eyes widened a bit at the remark. His lips pursed, attempting not to form a smile.

"T-thanks," he stuttered, stuffing a mouthful of noodles into his mouth so he could stop himself from saying anymore or showing that he may actually care. Both Akane and Sarada watched him curiously, both with a gentle expression on their face as they noticed Boruto attempting to feign disinterest and fight off a smile at his father's words.

.

Ichiraku and Ayame both came over, holding more bowls of ramen that they brought down on the counter.

"Enjoy!" they said. Two pairs of eyes gleamed with excitement at the sight of ramen.

"Itadikimasu!" Naruto and Akane exclaimed as they began slurping up a mouthful of ramen.

Boruto, Sarada, and Mitsuki watched, both in shock and amusement. It was already Naruto's and Akane's second bowl.

Boruto held a disgruntled face at the scene. He didn't want to admit it, but he was peeved at the fact that Akane was having dinner with his father. It certainly seemed odd, seeing as he never had the time of day to see him or his mother and sister without it being a shadow clone.

It was always the same: his father would make time for strangers before his family.

That's what it felt like, at least.

.

After they consumed the rest of their ramen and chatted more, Naruto looked outside and realized he stayed longer than he should have.

"I should be heading out now," Naruto thought aloud. "Akane-chan, I still need to talk to you. I'll walk you home." He was about to usher her out, holding the flaps of the stand up, but Akane took a step back, looking rather sheepish and nervous. Her eyes were averted to the ground before glancing over to Boruto for a split second, and then, looking up to him.

"Hokage-sama, um, it's alright. Maybe it will be best if you stayed with Boruto-kun and his team. I think Boruto-kun wanted to talk to you?" she wondered, looking to Boruto for confirmation. Boruto looked up from brooding into his ramen towards Akane, a small blush rising to his cheeks when their eyes met. He soon scoffed, however, crossing his arms.

"I don't need to talk to that old fart," Boruto declared, his brows furrowing and a glower on his face.

"Boruto! That's your father, be more respectful, shannaro!" Sarada chastised.

"Now that you train under my dad, you're on his side?" Boruto bit back, annoyed. Sarada fixed her glasses, shaking her head.

"No, it's not like that. I just know your father is a good man," Sarada retorted.

"Maybe to you," he said under his breath, averting his eyes. Sarada sighed, shaking her head.

Maybe someday, Boruto won't feel this way.

.

Sakura cursed under her breath, annoyed that Naruto was dragging her along in all of this speculation on who is that girl's parents. Sakura never felt more determined to prove the goof wrong. He was acting crazy.

She had to ease his head and calm his concerns. She could tell the more time he spent with her, the more he would most likely treat her like his own daughter, even if she wasn't of course.

She wasn't sure why she was feeling such anxiety.

Her eyes darted across the pages, the results now blaring, her retinas burning at the news.

She promised herself she wouldn't cry.

.

"Akane, I still have important things to work out with you. So it's best you come with me. Boruto, we will discuss this later. Goodnight you guys," he said in farewell, leaving their team to look confused.

"Goodnight!" Akane waved, before running off to Naruto's side.

Both Akane and Naruto walked in silence, before Akane stared up and noticed his dull eyes and blank features.

"I think Boruto-kun would have liked it if you talked to him," Akane said.

"I mean I tried earlier, but he always acts like it's unimportant now. He acted like this before, but I think even more so now that he is training with Sasuke," Naruto thought aloud. "Sasuke is making him even more unconcerned with everything," Naruto added, crossing his arms and shaking his head. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to have Sasuke train Boruto.

They were becoming so similar.

"I never thought my son would hate me so much."

"I wouldn't say he hates you. He just… misses you," Akane said, attempting to find the right words. Naruto smiled warmly.

"He knows I'm busy. I tried so hard to stay with them initially, but it got so tiring being Hokage. Eventually, it just got easier staying at the office. I saved a lot of time and was able to get more work done that way. But that meant not being able to see my family. I had to sacrifice a lot... No, _they_ had to sacrifice a lot. It's a tough job."

Akane pursed her lips. She did not want to mention how he always found time for them, even if they had to stop by and pay him a visit themselves at times when things got rough.

She couldn't wrap her head around why this Naruto was so much different. She remembered her father's eyes, warm and inviting, his lips always forming a smile… a genuine smile.

This man was more stern and dull.

The only time she saw the warmth back she remembered so much, was when he was eating ramen, or looking at her at times, surprisingly.

"Well, from the looks of it, it seems to me that you should keep trying. Don't give up!" she said, attempting to cheer him up.

"Akane-chan, if only there was the time. When I was a kid, I always thought that being Hokage would be a piece of cake and I would always be protecting the village from one threat after another. But now it's more paperwork and talking to ambassadors or Lords or the council and other officials. The Hokage position is more diplomatic than anything else," Naruto told her. She remained silent, continuing to process this.

"But, it's worth it, isn't it? It's what you always wanted?" she wondered. "You're happy with being the Hokage? You're happy with your life?"

"Yes, of course I am happy with my life, fulfilling my childhood dream. I just didn't expect so much paperwork," he laughed.

Akane became lost in thought, the differences between this Naruto and her father boiling to the surface finally.

She once asked her father this exact question when they used to walk home.

He would always answer with a big, toothy grin - with an energy that this Naruto did not have. He would tell her that it was always worth it no matter what. Her father spoke of protecting everyone when the time came made it all worthwhile, that he could never be happier.

A heavy feeling welled up in her chest as she continued to think of his past answer.

She realized, that although he is identical to her father, he was definitely a different Naruto.

Her father managed to make time for everything. It truly was difficult for him at times, and she saw it was hard work for him, but he was usually physically there with them from what she remembered. He would have multiple shadow clones in his office, or even bring Akane there before she was old enough to attend school.

Either way, she remembered that her father always found a way to make it work. She remembered always being able to tell when he was stressed, but it would soon dissipate when he was with them.

She wondered, what made his eyes so somber.

.

When Naruto came back from dropping Akane off at her apartment, he went straight to the laboratory, hoping the results came in. He was shocked to find Sakura slumped in front of papers, her hand holding her forehead as though she was battling a headache. He noticed she was trembling. Small tremors began to crawl up his own spine.

"Sakura-chan," he whispered, seeing her head cast down in defeat. He took a few steps closer to her, unsure how he should approach the situation. His hands were about to barely graze her shoulder, before she moved it away, most likely out of reflex.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I-I don't get it… our DNA… It matches. It's positive." Naruto's eyes widened. He wanted to smile, his heart rising and falling so fast - too fast, realizing his doubts were gone. He knew she was his daughter. Akane was _his_ daughter.

She was _their_ daughter.

But he restrained himself, his eyes drawn to Sakura's sullen eyes. Her cheeks and nose were rosy and inflamed, her eyes fighting back tears again, but it was easy to tell she was crying earlier.

"Naruto, you're definitely the father, and I'm definitely the mother… how, how is that possible?"

Sakura's world was crumbling down.

She gave up. She lost hope.

And she was exhausted.

There was only so much she could do to keep her family together. She felt as though she was creating a house of cards, with flimsy, tattered cards.

They just didn't hold up.

She didn't hold up. She was falling, just like her family.

"I did the test three fucking times! I honestly don't get it," she choked out, exasperated.

She couldn't help but wipe the tears brimming in her eyes as she fought back a scream. She was so frustrated; she began to sob. Naruto frowned, feeling as though seeing Sakura cry was all too familiar, bringing back old memories. Granted, now, they were adults, and he was sure Sakura wouldn't cry like this in front of many anymore.

But this.

She was devastated – tearing at the seams.

All Sakura could think about, was how this would ruin everything she worked so hard to preserve. Everything she was constantly trying to keep together.

And now, just like that, she could kiss that illusion goodbye.

She hated to admit it, but that was all she had to hope for. That illusion, that someday, Sasuke would stay for good, and Sarada would smile at both of them again, and they would be a happy family….

It was all torn asunder.

Now, she was lost and broken. Not just broken, she was _shattered._

"Sakura-chan, it's alright, we'll get through-"

"How can you say that, Naruto?" she interrupted, her voice hoarse as she spoke in between wails. "How can you honestly say it'll be okay, when everything is falling apart? Naruto, you have a _wife_ and _children._ What are they going to think when they see we have a daughter together?"

"Sakura-chan, let's not worry about that right now." Naruto frowned, hoping to ease her qualms.

"Easy for you to say. You don't know how bad it is, Naruto. You _don't._ You can't possibly understand how much pain this will cause. Our images, everything, it's all going to shit!" she seethed in between sobs. "We didn't even do anything, but the fact that the DNA test results match will cause so much speculation and so many accusations. Naruto, your Hokage title could be at stake, your favorability ratings will fall so bad when nothing happened between us. What will they think? And you don't want me to worry?"

"I know this is hard, Sakura-chan. We don't have to say anything right now, okay? For right now, it'll be between us. I will be okay. You will be okay. _We_ will be _okay_. I'll make sure of it, I promise," Naruto declared. He then finally moved closer, finding the strength to embrace this trembling woman, because he wasn't sure how else to placate her woes. She was shattered, and all Naruto cared about at that moment was mending the broken pieces. His fingers lightly grazed her hair, breathing her in and smelling the scent of cherry blossoms that ameliorated his own fears.

He could feel her shaky in his arms, but he didn't mind being a sturdy support for the time being.

.

It was a long day for Akane. She fell asleep right when her head hit the pillow. And she smiled whilst in her sleep, because the memories she'd dream about became so vivid.

She could practically taste the ramen, feel the joy when she hugged her father.

"Akane-chan, you know you could never beat me in a ramen eating contest," Naruto had said, sticking out his tongue. A younger Akane's eyebrows furrowed at the thought as her hands were placed on her hips.

"You wait and see, Papa! Someday, I will be Hokage and beat you in a ramen eating contest too!" Akane declared, pointing at her father.

"Well, you better keep training, Akane-chan! You'll only be able to beat me through hard work!" he recommended, making Akane pout.

"When are you going to teach me your other jutsu, then?"

"You know your mom doesn't want you learning so many jutsu before you fully control all of your chakra," Naruto reminded. Akane pouted more, batting her eyes, and giving a puppy dog expression that made Naruto melt.

"Awww, Daddy, but I want to be the best," she announced. "Don't you want me to be the best? I'm an Uzumaki, the daughter of the best Hokage _ever_! Shouldn't I live up to that?" Naruto whimpered a bit, realizing Akane knew how to sucker him into doing anything. When it came to having an extra cookie, to a later bedtime when she was a baby, she knew just how to make him cave in and accept. The only thing that could combat her sweet talk and puppy dog eyes was remembering Sakura's fiery.

"Your mom would kill me if she knew I went behind her back again like this," he reminded her, thinking how furious Sakura was when she learned that Akane learned how to make shadow clones. When she presented the technique to Sakura, she ended up passing out from exhaustion and using up all of her chakra in two clones.

Akane continued to pout. She was definitely unrelenting.

"Okay, this will be your first mission," Naruto said between chuckles. Akane's eyes widened, excited. "Your mission is to convince your mother that you are capable of learning more jutsu. If you're able to do _that_ , then we'll talk."

Akane deadpanned.

"You just want to get away from talking to Mama about this, don't you?" Akane wondered, already knowing the answer. He chuckled, ruffling her pink tresses.

"One day, you will understand."

"I don't think I'll ever understand." She shook her head. "Can we at least get some ramen today? I'm starving!"

"You're always starving," he chuckled out. "But so am I! Let's go to Ichiraku's today!" Naruto created numerous shadow clones to stay and handle paper work as they both head out, their destination being Ichiraku's.

.

Akane sighed contently in her sleep, these dreams making her want to continue on sleeping for eternity. She shifted a bit as a different memory came alive in her mind.

.

"Papa, is it worth it? Are you happy being Hokage?" she wondered. "I always see you doing paper work, and that seems so boring!" she exclaimed. Naruto stopped in his steps, and he turned to her and kneeled down so they could be eye to eye.

"Akane-chan, don't you know? I wanted to become Hokage since I was a little kid! It's been my lifelong dream! Of course it is worth it. Being Hokage means so much to me. If I'm being honest, I didn't expect the paper work and all the other diplomatic needs like dealing with foreign policy or small little stuff like making sure our trade deals and our economy is high, and there are enough jobs for our shinobi, and regular villagers, but it makes sense now that I'm in this position," he stopped himself from getting to deep in the political and economic side of his job, knowing she would not understand. He scratched his head, realizing he could get a little carried away explaining that aspect now. "But, I love it," he continued. " My decisions effect what happens to the people of Konoha, and I can make a big difference in their lives for the better. And, even though all of that was new for me, there is one thing that makes it more than worth it: I get to protect my family. Not just you or your Mama, but everyone in the village. All of you, are what make it worth it, what make me happy to be Hokage."

"Isn't it stressful, dealing with so many people?" she wondered.

"Yeah, of course it is. Every villager's problem tends to become my own. But that's why I have you and your mama to make it all better and keep _me_ sane." Her blue eyes sparkled, happy that she could do something to help her father.

"Papa, I want to be Hokage!" she exclaimed.

"Really? Why is that?"

"I want to protect everyone, too!" Naruto grinned, a mixture of pride forming as he picked his daughter up and gave her a piggy back ride. She laughed as Naruto jumped off towards the hospital.

Naruto, deciding it might be faster to not go through the front entrance of the hospital, came in through an open window. It was an empty consulting room. He placed Akane on the bed.

"Akane-chan, wait right here while I surprise your mother," Naruto said, grinning from ear to ear. Akane nodded, waiting for her dad to return.

However, Akane was not one to wait patiently. After 10 minutes, she was bored.

"What's taking them so long?" she wondered, jumping down from the bed and heading out the door.

It took her a bit at that age (to her, all the white halls looked the same), but she was finally able to find Sakura's office. She tilted her head, wondering why it was so dark in there. She thought her mom might be making rounds, and that's why it took her dad so long to find her. That was her first hypothesis before she heard her mother's voice in her office. However, it became quiet again. Akane waited, wondering if she was just hearing things.

She waited quite a few moments, before she heard harsh whispers from the other side of the door again.

"Naruto, no! You know she is extremely young for that."

Akane didn't understand why her mother's office would be so dark if she was still in there.

"Sakura-chan," she could hear him whisper loud enough for her to hear. And then all she could hear was shuffling.

Silence. More stifled noises.

"Mmmm, Naruto, stop. Not right now! You know-" was all she was able to hear before there was more silence.

"Neh, Sakura _-chan_ , you know you like it…" More inaudible sounds.

"Not so loud!" her mom whispered just loud enough for her to hear. It was still hard to figure out a lot of what they were saying, however.

More muffled sounds.

Akane raised an eyebrow, wondering what could be going on inside her mom's office, and better yet, what her mom thought of her learning a new jutsu. That, of course, was Akane's main concern.

"What do you say, Sakura-chan?" she could hear her father ask.

Even more muffled sounds.

"Fine, maybe just one jutsu. _One,_ Naruto! I'll think about it more," she finally gave in.

And Akane cheered, but soon covered her mouth when she heard a gasp.

"Was that Akane-chan?" Sakura snapped, and Akane could tell by her tone, that she was glaring at her father.

She was caught snooping. Akane gulped.

She could tell her mom was lecturing him by the harsh whispers she could barely make out and the shuffling and movement she heard in the room.

"Sakura-"

"We'll finish this _later_ ," Akane heard Sakura say sternly. They were mere inches from the door now. Sakura opened it and was surprised.

"Akane-chan, what were you-" Sakura began when she spotted her little girl on the other side of her door. Sakura was a bit winded at first but soon was interrupted by an excited Akane. Sakura's hair was a bit disheveled, as well, and her white coat button was misplaced, but Akane was too eager to notice.

"Mama! So I can really learn more jutsu? Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she cheered, hugging her.

"Your father and I will still discuss this _… tonight_." Naruto could tell by the tone in her voice, that she meant business. His chest constricted and he gulped.

"Why don't we go home now?"

"Sakura-chan, I need to go back to the office, but I'll be home later tonight."

"You better," she said, giving him a quick kiss on the lips.

"Akane-chan, if you want to learn that jutsu, you have to be good for Mommy, okay?" Naruto said, kneeling down and kissing her forehead.

"Of course," Akane said, nodding furiously.

"I'll be home to tuck you into bed," Naruto said, waving goodbye as he poofed away. Sakura sighed, shaking her head.

"Your father is a bit _too_ unpredictable at times…" she trailed off shaking her head more, but still amused. "Let's go home," she said, taking Akane's hand.

.

That particular memory faded, and she wasn't sure what was going on anymore as her head moved from side to side.

A sleeping Akane began to toss and turn, her dream turning into something else entirely, something she never saw before.

A profuse amount of sweat ran down her forehead as she continued to shake, her arms clenching and her breathing quickening.

.

" _Akane-chan, let's go."_

" _What about Papa and Mama?" Akane wondered._

" _Don't worry about them, they will be fine," a man – she couldn't make out his face – said, attempting to usher her away. She paid no mind to this man, however, running where the explosion took place._

" _Akane!"_

.

Akane's chest felt as though a massive weight was crushing her lungs. She tried to breathe. All her muscles constricted, and she wanted to scream. To no avail, however.

She was stuck.

.

" _Akane-chan? Where did you go?" her father's voice called. "Akane-chan?"_

"Papa _!" she attempted to scream, but her chest stopped rising, and she felt as though she couldn't breathe._

 _She had no idea where she was. She was frozen, completely trapped in rocks and branches and some sort of wire that felt like it was severing bits and pieces of her skin._

.

Akane was tossing and turning.

Her dreams seemed as though they were glitching, in a way. Different memories intertwined with others, until she was gasping for air, fighting for a breath.

Her fingers dug into her bed sheets, screeching out as she jumped up from bed, her eyes wide, frantically attempting to see if she was truly back to reality.

Her heart pounded, her chest feeling crushed under the weight she was feeling earlier. She gasped for air.

Her sweet memories had turned into night terrors. Her old memories had her seeing red. In her last memory, all her senses picked up were blood. She could still smell the odor of rotting flesh or the sight of the crimson liquid. She could even taste the copper on her tongue.

She didn't understand what all of this meant.

But she was left to see red all night.

All she wanted was for the feeling of blood seeping through her hands out of her mind.

However, she knew you don't always get what you wish for.

.

 _AN:_ Completed! Finally! I apologize again for the long wait for this chapter! Sorry about the hospital scene, I just thought it'd be hilarious, and I was definitely laughing while writing it! xD Humors never a bad thing imo haha, especially with that serious turn of events.

 **IMPORTANT:** If it ends up taking too long like last time, I will be posting up previews to this fic on my forum! I also have a picture of what Akane looks like over there too! Links are in my profile!

Thanks for reading, and I hope y'all let me know what you think, or if you have any questions! :D Hopefully I can get the next chapter up sooner.


	4. Chapter 4

_AN:_ Happy New Year! I figured I'd post a chapter to bring in the new year, haha. I would just like to thank everyone who has been reviewing, pming, faving, and alerting this story! It really means the world to me and really helps me get through the hard times and the dry spells. It was your lovely words that inspired me to write a story for all those who wanted a better ending. Enjoy!

.

 **Chapter 4**

.

Naruto scanned through documents, exhausted from more than his mountainous stack of papers accumulating on his desk. He spent his night with Sakura, making sure she was alright and comforting her. He was not sure why, but an unhealthy amount of guilt consumed him. A part of him knew why, but he didn't want to admit it. Her head rested on his shoulder, so he was able to take in the scent of the shampoo she used. This reminded him of their genin days, when he would lean on her after training as they stumbled over to Ichiraku's. He remembered feeling her body against his own as she leaned into him, her hair getting in his face. But he didn't mind, he never minded, especially not in that moment. It felt so right, holding her and comforting her.

It had been such a long time since they were that close to each other – since he saw Sakura cry. He remembered the confident girl in the past, her monstrous strength that would leave him stumbling and sometimes in pain from her punches. However, in that moment, when she was trembling in his strong hold, he realized just how fragile she could be.

He scratched the tip of his nose, unsure of himself as he blankly looked at the stack of papers in his hands. It wasn't like anything happened between the two, but after yesterday's events, he wanted to make sure she was alright, his mind thinking of Sakura and Akane more than necessary.

He had to focus and get back to business, however. He had no time for reminiscing, especially with so much going on around the village and abroad. He read over documents, reviewing the different documents he needed to sign. Rebuilding the Konoha infrastructure, passing the budget presented, or figuring out which Konoha genin should be promoted to chuunin, were all tasks he had to accomplish as he read over papers along with the different candidates. He scratched his head, feeling like there should be a committee for certain tasks, to handle the smaller issues that need to be dealt with.

He couldn't give this to the new council of advisers yet, for they made things bigger and added more bureaucracy and red tape than he preferred.

He lost his train of thought when Shikamaru walked in. He was thankful, even though Shikamaru usually brought even more work for him to do. He was glad, because that meant his mind could focus on other tasks.

Shikamaru's expression showed indifference, but he could tell he was happy he was actually here.

"Oh, it's actually you this time. I didn't want the mishap of another clone disappearing," Shikamaru said.

"Sorry about that, I had an emergency," he apologized.

"Family?"

"Yeah, something like that." Naruto chuckled to ease the tension, or maybe his exhaustion – he was not sure. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, however, didn't feel it would be fitting to question him further.

"Well, I'm glad it's you. You have a full schedule today. I was able to schedule that meeting with the Tsuchikage you wanted - she preferred later in the day as you suspected. But first we have another meeting with the council," Shikamaru began to explain, and Naruto nodded, his focus getting back to his previous tasks at hand.

However, in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but wonder how Akane was doing and hoping Sakura was feeling better after he dropped her off last night. He brought her home a time he knew Sasuke would be away, but he did not account for Sarada. He cringed at the memory of getting caught red handed by Sarada. His hands felt dirty just being with Sakura after realizing his longing thoughts of a different future with their interdimensional love child.

"I wanted to see if your father was home without disturbing you or your mom," he lied.

"Well, he hasn't been home for some time now. Doesn't he leave late into the night or something?" Sarada asked, annoyed at the very thought. She was annoyed at the fact that her sensei would know before Sakura or herself would. Naruto cursed in his mind, realizing that was a stupid thing to say.

"Right. It must have slipped my mind. Well, I better get going. Don't want to wake up your mom," he whispered, waving goodbye.

"Naruto-sensei, when will I be able to come in for more training?" she wondered. Naruto thought.

"I've assigned you and your team to a mission. I should be able to give your team a briefing tomorrow evening. After that," Naruto reassured. Sarada nodded, smiling and waving goodbye as he left.

Naruto sighed, realizing that was a close call.

Her letting him go now didn't mean he was completely off the hook. Sarada was calculative, and would see through his lie, he was sure. Knowing her, she must have already known that he was not there looking for Sasuke. She may have let him go because of his close bond to Sasuke, or the fact that he was her sensei now, but she must have figured seeing him in the middle of the night in their residence, was extremely off-putting and strange.

Naruto would know Sasuke's whereabouts before either of them, anyways.

However, he was thankful she didn't push him, although she might ask him more whenever she came in for more training.

Hopefully, the mission he will assign them will keep her busy enough that she will forget.

He sighed, deciding to forget about that particular problem, and focus on more dire issues concerning the village.

.

Sakura jumped awake, her heart racing as she frantically looked around. She flinched when she saw Sarada right beside her, eyeing her carefully.

"Are you alright?" Sarada asked, frowning when she saw her mother so frightened. She never saw her like this. It was definitely concerning. Sakura nodded.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just… had a bad dream – a nightmare – is all…" Too bad it wasn't a dream. The results came back to her, hitting her once again. Her head hurt at the thought, and she wished she could stay in her room and sob, but Sarada was in front of her. Sarada was in front of her and she was smiling at her, and Sakura realized her daughters smile brought her strength to keep going. Sakura responded with a tired smile of her own, hoping she didn't see through it.

Sarada started, "I used to be the one who had the bad dreams." She chuckled a bit at the thought. "You would always make me tea," Sarada reminded. Sakura genuinely smiled at the memory.

"That was so long ago," Sakura realized. Sakura was more surprised by Sarada's demeanor this morning. The last few times she talked with her, Sarada was still upset with her, not saying much when she tried to engage in a conversation. Now Sarada was actively trying to talk with her and even laughing at her like how she used to. Sakura's lips curled up, hopeful.

Sarada nodded. "Here, let me bring you some tea this time," she offered, and Sakura thanked her daughter, happy that Sarada didn't seem too upset with her anymore. In fact, she looked to be back to her usual self, before the incident.

Sarada stopped at the doorway, her hand on the door knob as she looked at the floor, debating on what she should tell her mother.

"I saw him today, early morning… he came looking to train Boruto," Sarada began. Sakura looked at her curiously. She already knew who she was referring to.

"How did that go?" Sakura asked, praying for the best.

"It… I'm…" She paused, stumbling with her words in an attempt to phrase how she felt accurately. "I-I don't think I hate him," Sarada confessed. As much as she wanted to remain spiteful towards her dad, seeing him and being able to interact with him made her want to get to know him more. He is her father, after all. "It just feels so – _so awkward,_ " she finished, exasperated and embarrassed at the memory.

Sakura tilted her head before she began giggling at her daughter's expression. She could only imagine Sarada and Sasuke's interaction together, Sasuke especially.

"Mom! Not funny!" Sarada glared at her mother, embarrassed. Her fist shook as she fixed her glasses.

"Forgive me. But don't worry, Sarada-chan. You just have to give it some time. You'll get used to your father," Sakura reassured. Sarada nodded, but turned away so she wouldn't see her frown.

"I don't want to be a hypocrite. I don't want to be like Boruto…" She blushed a bit, her eyes moving to her feet as she adjusted her glasses. "Not that I don't understand why he feels the way he feels too. But, with dad… at least, he came back, right? At least I got to see him, right?" she asked, hoping her mother would give her reassurance. That she shouldn't spew all her hatred on her father, that she should give him a chance. Sakura nodded.

"But still, like I said, it's so awkward. He barely talks, and he is always so serious. It makes me feel awkward, trying to strike up a conversation," Sarada admitted. Not to mention how it was difficult enough trying to take the high road and trying to reconnect with her father, especially after such a long absence. She felt as though she knew nothing about him except the stories the Hokage would say, or the vague words her mother would spew, neither of which were as helpful as she would have hoped.

Sakura smiled at her daughter, laughing at the idea of Sarada attempting to strike up a conversation with Sasuke. _"Like mother, like daughter."_ The bitter thought ran through her mind and she was surprised with herself. She shook her head, attempting to get that idea along with thoughts of the past, out of her mind. She gazed at her daughter, her green eyes shining.

"Sasuke-kun is definitely serious. That's just his personality, but he's trying. He really is. But don't worry about it, just be yourself." Sakura gently smiled, her hand brushing away a strand of her hair. Sarada beamed, thankful by her mother's comforting words.

"Thanks, Mom." Sakura sighed a breath of relief, realizing things weren't completely terrible and hopeless.

Sakura was happy, if anything else, that her daughter was slowly easing up on her father.

At the moment, she didn't care if her relationship with Sasuke was pretty much nonexistent, or what he may think when she has to explain all the problems faced with Naruto and Akane now. She didn't even want to think about how that conversation would go. She was not prepared for that, and she didn't know if she would ever be ready for that conversation.

No, she didn't worry about that anymore. She put all that aside.

More importantly, she decided to look at what she has now. She focused on mending the bond Sarada had with her father, if nothing else.

She would have to watch Sarada very closely now, too.

Sakura frowned, looking at the distant look in Sarada's eyes as she looked out the window. She'd seen it recently from her, but it was so nostalgic. It felt so familiar to her, because those were the distant stares Sasuke would have on his face before he left the village

Sakura bit her lip, smiling and beginning to laugh, hoping to distract Sarada enough.

That look brought too many painful memories back. Sakura shook off her fears for the time being, however.

"Hey, why don't we spend the day together, just you and me?" Sakura tried. Sarada stopped and thought for a moment. She smiled.

"Sure, but only for a little bit. You woke up so late today. I have to meet with my team again later. We're going to receive a mission briefing in the evening," Sarada explained.

"Okay. Why don't we go window shopping, like how we used to? And then we can grab some lunch?" she asked. Sarada smiled, nodding.

"Yeah, I'm fine with that."

Sakura hoped she could keep this happy facade up, having faith that she would not fail an Uchiha twice in her lifetime.

If Sarada could keep on smiling, then she can too.

.

Akane was unable to sleep at all that night.

Naruto's clone didn't find her in her apartment, but at the training grounds. Her back was turned to him as she was in a meditative position.

"Akane-chan?" he wondered.

"Yes?"

"How long have you been here?" he inquired, noticing how tired she was when she turned her head to grin at him.

"Oh, not too long," she lied, her smile widening. Naruto sighed, his hands on his hips.

"Akane-chan, why were you running away from ANBU? They were supposed to escort you to the Hokage Tower," he said. Akane shook her head, and he could tell she was making an annoyed expression even when he was looking at her back.

"It was that same masked guy from before, I can tell. He was mean to me," Akane whined, pouting. Naruto sighed, shaking his head.

"Yeah, many are like that, but still… they're just too serious is all," he reassured. He wondered, why she made this such a big deal when all ANBU were like this from the first time he's seen them.

"Are you mad at me?" she asked, continuing to concentrate as she practiced her jutsu.

"No, of course not," he answered. Akane was thankful for this. When she finally turned to looked at him, he noticed she was extremely dirty, grass stains and mud over her ninja clothes and bandages. He also saw the bags under her eyes. "Did you get any sleep?" he asked. She shook her head.

"No, not yesterday. You see, I'm trying this sleep cycle type of thing. It's supposedly a change in sleep patterns that allows you to have the least sleep you can so you have more time to study jutsu and train! It's said to be the most efficient compared to the regular, more common 8 hours a day cycle," Akane explained knowingly. Naruto quirked an eyebrow, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, but it doesn't seem like it's working if you're going to be tired while you're awake," he observed, raising a questionable brow.

"That's because I'm just starting this. At first, it's said that it is very difficult to keep up and stay on schedule. However, once you get used to it, I will be wide awake and feeling better than ever!" Naruto sighed, not sure how many times he will be doing that.

"I'm going to have to look into that. I don't know, doesn't seem all that great to me. You're a growing girl, you need as much sleep as you can get. And as a ninja, that can be hard enough," Naruto began, and Akane giggled at the fact that he was lecturing her. _"Just like Papa,"_ she thought.

"I didn't know Hokage-sama had time to be an advocate for proper sleep," she giggled. "Here I thought you'd like to spar. But it looks like you're already worn out. I guess it's true, you really are an old man now," Akane observed, continuing to giggle at her teasing. She could tell he already had multiple clones out and about. She was always amazed by what her father was capable of.

"Old man?" Naruto repeated, his brows furrowing. "We'll see just how incapable this old man is." Akane smiled, excited to finally spar with her father once more.

"If it's just one clone, then I think I can manage," she said cockily, preparing a battle stance.

"Okay, but when I win, we are going straight to the Hokage Tower," he said. Akane nodded, agreeing.

.

"Did… did you let me win?" Akane asked in between taking in large amounts of air. She was able to win against multiple clones, dispelling each one that appeared. However, one would always return for another round.

"Never," Naruto laughed.

"You did! You never take me seriously!" Akane fumed, crossing her arms with a big pout. "How am I supposed to become great if you don't spar like you mean it, Papa!" she yelled, but she immediately covered her mouth, hoping no one else heard her. She looked around the training grounds, scanning the area to make sure no one was around. "S-sorry!" she yelped, bowing her head. Naruto stared at her for a moment, wondering why she was apologizing.

"It's fine. You should be careful though," he grinned. "Otherwise, you'll let your guard down."

"See, told you I didn't let you win," Naruto laughed even more, and she rubbed her nose, embarrassed and a bit annoyed. He tapped her nose, not rough, but firm enough to cause her to lose her footing and fall. She pouted, crossing her arms. Naruto looked to the setting sun, wondering where the time went. He was having way too much fun sparring, even if they were just clones. He wanted to spend as much time with Akane as he could.

.

When Akane and Naruto's clone arrived in his office, Naruto had just finished talking to Boruto's team. He was seated, reviewing their mission again and knowing it wouldn't be too much trouble for them.

"Hokage-sama," Akane said, bowing her head. Naruto looked to Shikamaru, who was standing beside him.

"Could you give us a moment?" he asked, and Shikamaru nodded, leaving the office. Once he did, he began laughing.

"Akane-chan, you're pretty good," he complimented. Akane nodded, knowingly.

"I learned from the best," she said confidently. "That was a dirty trick though, waiting till I was vulnerable." Akane scrunched her face and pouted. Naruto couldn't help but laugh.

"Ninja's shouldn't let their guard down. You know this. I thought I had told my clone to not make it too long," Naruto said. Still, it seemed like fun sparring with his daughter. He only wished he could have been there in person. "But it was for the best, I didn't have time at all until now. Even now, I'm supposed to be preparing for a meeting."

"Oh, well that's fine. I assumed you'd be extremely busy." Naruto nodded.

"Well, I thought I'd call you in to give you the news in person, and I didn't want anyone listening in. But it looks like the results match, Akane-chan." She nodded, already knowing this would happen. "You were right."

"Was she busy?" Akane wondered after a long pause. Naruto already knew who she was referring to. He hid his frown with big grin for her.

"She, she is just having a bit of a hard time with this. It's a lot to take in for her," Naruto commented. Akane's eyes stared at the patterns of the carpet.

"Is she sad? Is… is she mad at me?" she stammered, her voice light but scared too.

"No, of course not. She just needs to adjust is all," Naruto reassured. Akane nodded, but she was still feeling a bit dejected at the thought. She hoped she didn't cause too many problems for her parents. She had a question at the tip of her tongue, but refused to ask it. Instead, she looked at him and meekly curled her lips to form a smile.

"You don't need time to adjust?" she asked curiously. Naruto shook his head. He would have told her that her being his daughter was a dream that came true, and it was something he would never have to adjust to. He was more looking forward to it than anything else.

"I'm the Hokage, I don't need to adjust," Naruto told her coolly. Akane nodded, grateful.

"Was there anything else you needed to discuss with me?" He shook his head no, fixing some papers.

"No, you can go for now. It's getting late, and you should have an adequate amount of sleep," Naruto urged, staring at her sternly. She sheepishly laughed, scratching the back of her head. Naruto stood, walking her out the office.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Would you be able to stay with me – watching over me? Even if it's just a clone, it might make things easier in case there is anyone trying to – to steal any information or anything," Akane asked, deciding it might be easier to sleep when he was there.

Naruto thought for a moment, his hand to his chin.

"Yeah, that's a good idea. I will order an ANBU to –"

"Even if it's just a clone, would you be able to watch over me?" she interrupted.

"Akane-chan, you're a ninja, aren't you? Don't tell me you're afraid." He said this more teasingly, but Akane didn't see it like that. Her lips pursed, her eyes down-casted for a moment before she looked back at him confidently and determined.

Akane began to make a strained chuckle.

"Of course not, haha! Don't worry about it, actually! I'm tough! I can handle anything! I shouldn't have asked such a thing. I mean, I'm going to be a chuunin now, too! Plus, I don't want you to let me win again. I'm no baby," Akane reasoned, grinning from ear to ear as she laughed at her own ridiculousness. Naruto's expression was stern, knowing what that grin reminded him of.

He frowned, his eyes showing his concern.

Akane noticed this, stopping her rambling to stare blankly at him. She couldn't control herself. A ninja must never show her tears she remembered, however, she was confused at that moment. She remembered how she would always try her best not to cry because of that rule, the only exception being with her mom and dad.

Her papa would give her that look, that same look he was boring into her, as though he knew. He knew, without even realizing it. She was never sure how either of her parents could do it, but they could always tell when something was troubling her.

Maybe that's just how a parent was, they just had those instincts.

"Papa," she whispered, before she hugged him, tears in her eyes. She bawled, feeling as though she was crying so ugly, but her Papa was so used to it. So was her Mama. As she grew older, she did not want to make a habit of ugly crying. But if there was anything seriously troubling her, to the point to burst out into tears, she could always count on them to remind her that everything would be fine.

Naruto gently ruffled her hair.

"Sorry," she said, averting her gaze. She stepped back and wiped away her tears as best she could, sniffling.

"It's okay," he said, before making the familiar hand signs. A clone popped up. He sighed, realizing he would truly need to rest tonight after so many clones he used.

"Remember, just a clone," Naruto said, scratching the back of his head. Akane whimpered, delighted that he relented to her request.

Once they left, he decided to focus on his next meeting. He had made arrangements to meet the Tsuchikage before she left to Iwagakure. They needed to discuss Akane's arrangements for her to stay. Specifically, he needed to convince her that she would be better off in Konoha. He figured Akane herself could just send files to get into the exchange program he had spent years constructing with his allies. However, it would be much faster to cut the red tape of bureaucracy and meet in person with the Tsuchikage herself. Unfortunately for his programs, it takes longer to set up than he needs. Much more time than he has.

.

"Naruto-sama, let us take a moment to simply have a drink," the Tsuchikage, Kurotsuchi, suggested. Naruto laughed, nodding in agreement. He figured something like this would happen. She loved her some warm sake, after all.

"Yes, of course," he agreed, taking out the good stuff. Akatsuchi and Shikamaru waited outside the Hokage's doors in case they were needed. He had half a mind to have them come in and join them, however, this was far too important to let them listen in and put in their opinions in this, especially Akatsuchi. He didn't need anyone giving the Tsuchikage second thoughts.

"And you have my favorite, too," Kurotsuchi noted, her lips curling up at the thought. Naruto smugly smirked, knowing it was the best decision he made to have each Kage's favorite type of drink in his office at all times. Because many times, treaties and deals were not done through boring meetings with councils and advisers, but through drinks, he found. When one can share a drink, it establishes rapport quickly and helps keep one open minded to negotiation, which is what Naruto needed if he wanted to get the peace he wanted.

In the past, Naruto was naïve, believing he could accomplish peace through his fist. However, he soon came to realize, peace through a glass is far more effective.

"I even have some red wine imported, that I figured you would love to try," Naruto commented, smiling from ear to ear. The Tsuchikage smiled back, bringing her hands to her chin as she smirked at the Hokage.

"Yes, we may have to open that soon," she told him, and Naruto nodded, moving back to his seat.

"How's your Grandfather?" he asked, making small talk.

"He's fine, still complaining as always," she replied, thinking back to her grandfather, Ōnoki, who still wanted to tell her how to be the Tsuchikage from time to time, retiring but not fully retiring.

"That's good to hear."

"So what is this really about? Chuunin exams?" she questioned knowingly. Everyone knew of Naruto's signature moves. How one of her shinobi required it was on many people's mind.

"Yes, one of your shinobi, Akane Uzake."

"Ah, yes, her. She's a little unique, I'd say," she said.

"Let me start by saying, that I personally met her, and she is a very interesting person. I was thinking how she would be a perfect candidate for the exchange program," he began. The Tsuchikage smirked, now understanding his motives.

"You see her strength, I see."

"I see her potential," he urged.

"Are you sure this isn't about her using your jutsu? The fact that she was able to somehow take it means she's an important assets to our village."

"Which might be a very valid reason for her to be a part of the exchange program," Naruto reasoned, taking a sip of sake. She gave a small laugh. When the Hokage wanted something, he was relentless. "As allies, it's more than fitting. She can learn a lot about the leaf shinobi. She seems to use many of our jutsu, anyways," he laughed. "She's was an orphan in the village, wasn't she?"

"She told you that?" the Tsuchikage wondered.

"No, but it was easy to tell. As you know, I was too," he began. The Tsuchikage sighed. The Hokage was playing all his cards, she can see.

"You know, if she were to be a part of the exchange program, it wasn't necessary for us to have a meeting for this one shinobi. Makes me wonder just how important this is to you," she mentioned, smirking.

Naruto chortled. "I see you are observant as ever. I figured since she's using a few of my techniques, might as well teach her how to perfect them. I'm able to maintain my shadow clones due to my immense chakra capacity. If she continues to use it, seeing as she doesn't have my amount of chakra, she would only be able to make one or two clones at most. I know someone with top chakra control that will make her stronger and become an even better asset for Iwagakure. That is just one example. She, and in the long run, Iwagakure, will only benefit from such an exchange," Naruto tried to explain.

"Ah, yes, I see. You know, I am not one to worry about this exchange program of yours. If a shinobi of mine is interested, then I have no problem allowing them to be a part of it. The only problem I'm having trouble with now, in Akane's case, is the amount of time she would be allotted to stay here."

"Yes, we should definitely flesh out the details, Kurotsuchi-sama. Shall I open up the red wine?" he questioned, smiling from ear to ear.

Before she could respond, he was already pouring the red liquid into a glass.

.

"Naruto-kun, welcome home." Hinata immediately noticed that he was tipsy and seemed extremely exhausted. She was thankful that Boruto left on a mission, and Himiwari was fast asleep.

"Sorry," he hiccupped. "I had a 'meeting' with the Tsuchikage," he explained. Hinata nodded, giggling a bit. The Tsuchikage was known for such meetings that involved drinking.

"Yes, of course. Did you win?" she wondered, already knowing the Tsuchikage's methods. He nodded, smiling proudly.

"Obviously!" he laughed before he sauntered to their bedroom. "Sorry," he repeated during a moment of silence. There was so many reasons he could think of to apologize. He realized he should have told her of this meeting beforehand, although there were many things he didn't bring up or forgot to say.

Hinata simply smiled, saying it was fine, and that she understood.

Hinata is always smiling when he is around. He wondered if this was for his sake. He frowned at the thought, wondering if she was truly happy, or if she was just pretending to be happy so he wouldn't worry or because he had enough on his plate with being Hokage. He had to take care of everyone, and so Hinata was very understanding, knowing that he would have to give less time for her and the children. He had to spread himself so thin already, Hinata tried to make it easier on him by taking care of the kids.

But he wondered if clones were enough for her. If that was enough for her to be happy in their situation now – if it was enough for her to be happy with him.

"Naruto-kun, is something wrong?" she asked. It wasn't too hard to realize something was off with him. He was lost in thought, not even realizing Hinata was staring at him for so long with concern in her eyes. He took a moment to get back to the situation at hand, grinning stupidly. He may have still been a little tipsy.

"No, everything is great," he said. He chuckled a hardy chuckle, and she gave him a tender look. She gave a small, weak smile, and he felt guilty for lying. He stopped looking at his bandaged hands in thought, wondering if he should ask her what was on his mind.

"Hinata," he began, and she looked at him, her hand on his bandaged one. He watched her carefully. "Hinata, are you happy? Are you happy with your life?" he asked. It was better to ask now. He quickly added, "Do you ever want to go back to being a ninja? Don't you miss that life?"

Hinata smiled, he looked down to her expression and he was surprised to notice relief wash over her face after he asked. She gave his question a bit of thought.

"Well, yes, a part of me misses going on missions. But, being with the children makes it worth it," she said softly, a bright smile appearing. "Where is this coming from?" she couldn't help but ask.

"I'm not asking about the kids, though, Hinata. Are you happy like this? I know I put a lot on your shoulders."

"I chose this life. I chose to be a stay at home mom. Naruto-kun, do not ever worry. I am thankful for what I have and I am thankful to be in my position," she declared. Naruto nodded, not wanting to ask anymore. He figured it would be better if he stopped. He figured that no matter what, she would say that she was happy. She was too selfless for her own good.

"You are too kind," he told her. She tilted her head, wondering what he was thinking now.

"Is all this about Boruto-kun?" she wondered. He held his breath a bit, before exhaling deeply. He didn't have the strength to tell her about Akane, or this different life she had revealed to him. A life that he so desperately wanted to go to, but now too guilty to even think about.

Instead of saying anything about it, he laughed to ease his aching and conflicted heart.

"It's just bothering me a little. Boruto seems so ungrateful. I tried talking to him, you know. We ate together at Ichiraku's with his team. I tried talking to him but he just seemed so uninterested. So I don't understand. He asks for one thing, but when I try to give it to him with the little time I have, he doesn't want me to," Naruto explained. All this was true. Hinata nodded.

"I'll talk to Boruto-kun. He will come around eventually," Hinata reassured. Naruto sighed, slouching before he laid down for what little time he had to sleep. His hands rest under his head as he stared up to the ceiling, his mind reeling with contradictory thoughts. The bed shifted, and Hinata was right by his shoulder, her head resting on his chest.

Her eyes closed before she mentioned that she can make him a lunch for tomorrow.

"Neh, you don't have to, I'll be fine. You have enough on your shoulders right now. I have to leave early tomorrow morning. You should sleep more, but thank you," he said, taking one hand away from his head to massage her shoulder. He leaned down and kissed her, truly thankful for everything she did for him.

She blushed, realizing it has been a while since he kissed her, or talked to her like this. She gazed up to him, a small smile.

"Naruto-kun," she began. "It's moments like this that make up for it all. I am more than happy to wait for you, I completely understand that your duties involve so much of your time and energy. You must not ever worry about whether I'm happy or not. It's all worth it for times like this."

Naruto looked to his chest, and noticed she was falling asleep. His smile was strained, wanting to smile by this amazing person beside him, but not being able to completely for his immense guilt and straying thoughts recently. Hinata was willing to sacrifice everything for him. He remembered, when they first started dating, he would be lonely and so went to her, and she would drop everything she was doing for him. He felt bad sometimes, but it was always nice knowing that she was always there and wanted to be with him. And now, she took care of everything. She took care of Himawari, Boruto, the house, the chores, _everything._ He wasn't sure how she did it, or what he'd do without her. He honestly couldn't imagine his life without her, after so much they've been through, after so much she has done for him.

He continued to be consumed by an incredible amount of guilt all through the night.

.

When Akane came to her apartment, she went straight to her instant ramen, knowing her dad would love it.

The Naruto clone stared at her curiously as she rummaged through her ramen stash.

"You really are my child." Akane nodded.

"I'll make us both some!" she told him excitedly

As they waited, Naruto jumped, looking at Akane's face closely.

"Those weren't always there, were they?" he wondered, pointing at her whisker like marks on her cheeks.

Akane blushed, embarrassed. "I figured it would be smart to hide them," she explained.

"Yeah, that was really smart. It looks like you get a lot from your dad." Akane giggled, sticking her tongue out.

"Mama always told me I not only received her gorgeous hair and complexion from her, but her high intelligence as well. But thank you, Papa," she said, hugging him. "I mean – Hokage-sama." She averted her gaze, feeling stupid for forgetting the reality of the situation. The Naruto clone simply grinned, however.

"Akane-chan, when no one is around, if it makes you feel better, you can call me Papa," he said, ruffling her hair.

"It's okay I call you that, really? But if it's too weird for you then-"

"It must be hard being away from your true parents. Of course, Akane-chan," he answered, hugging the daughter he never thought he would ever have, until now.

"Thank you, Papa," she said, beaming, this feeling so familiar.

She hoped with her father there watching over her, she would be able to sleep soundly tonight.

.

 _AN:_ I absolutely love writing Narudaddy in this, because I personally feel he would act more like this with his children than how he's been portrayed in the manga. Just my opinion.

 **IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ!** I just realized, if this is going to be a NaruSaku fic where they actually end up together, it will take a looooooong time. Like, a _really_ long time. As I was writing this chapter, I realized if they ever have a relationship in this reality, it will be extremely slow and take a long time to get there. So I want to leave the question for you guys to decide. Would you like me to continue this full out, from beginning to end, where they could finally have a happy ending in this? If you want this, I will warn you now, this might take a really long time to complete. I wouldn't know how many chapters it would be, which kind of scares me a little, haha. I originally planned for this to be at the most, 5 chapters. However, as I finished this chapter up, I realized that won't happen at the rate I'm going. At the same time, I don't want to rush this fic, it's very precious to me.

 _Tl;dr_ Should I stick to keeping this fic 5-8 chapters meaning it can be completed sooner, or should I expand it, however, the downside is that it will take longer to complete and may have longer time spans between updates? Any input to help me decide will be much appreciated! Till next time!


	5. Chapter 5

_AN:_ I just want to take a moment and thank everyone who reviewed, fav'd, alerted, or pm'd. I'm sorry I didn't have time to reply to everyone, but I want you all to know, from the apex of my heart, I truly appreciate you and the input you give! I've read them all, and each one helped me finish this chapter. I'm so grateful to have all your support!

I'm thinking what it would look like if I expand it, and I can already feel the emotional rollercoaster all the characters and I (and possibly you) will be put through if I do. I don't know if I'm prepared for that just yet, but I might be… xD I still haven't made up my mind. In either case, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

.

 **Chapter 5**

.

Sakura watched Sarada with doubting eyes. She noticed that Sarada was quieter than usual. To anyone else, Sarada might seem normal, but Sakura could tell something was wrong.

All through brunch, Sarada seemed in a daze, her eyes longingly gazing out to the Hokage monument.

"How long do you think Papa will stay?" Sarada finally asked. Sakura frowned, a thoughtful expression as she contemplated the question.

"Depends on his next mission," she finally answered. "Knowing him, he probably wants to uncover more information so he can protect us all. As of right now, I haven't heard anything yet," Sakura said in thought. She frowned, hoping it wouldn't happen anytime soon.

Although, now that she thought about it, it might be easier if he was gone until they figured out what to do with the whole Akane situation. Sasuke was obviously smart, and so would most likely figure it out before they had a chance to work out what they wanted to do next.

Rationalizing his departures was the only way she could get through them after all.

How frustrating.

Sakura sighed, deciding to not deal with that train of thought at the moment. Right now, she was with Sarada, and she was going to spend as much time with her as she possibly can. She caringly brushed strands of Sarada's dark hair away from her eyes. She looked at her and saw almost a replica of Sasuke – similar hair, eyes… similar distant expression on said eyes.

"If there's anything you need to talk about, you know I'm here, right? I'm always here for you," Sakura placated, her hand moving over the table to cover Sarada's. Sarada stared at her for a moment, as though coming to a decision.

"Hey, you know, Mama… It's just – I can tell, you think I'm still going to leave like before, don't you? To find her, right? You're still worried about that," Sarada questioned, already knowing the answer. This took Sakura by surprised, her hand tersely moving back to her own lap. However, she immediately forced a smile, hoping Sarada wouldn't see right through her.

"What are you talking about, Sarada-chan?"

"You look worried. But you should know, that I can't leave… at least, if I do, it won't be for long. I'll come back, you know. Did you forget what my dream is?" Sarada wondered, her eyes glazed with a determination Sakura had only seen in another before. This put her mind at ease slightly, knowing her dream she was so determined to achieve would be here, in Konoha.

Sarada was thankful by her mother's relieved expression. Sarada decided long ago it was best to leave out many things from her mother, because she didn't want her to worry any more than she had to.

 _Even when I leave, you won't be able to stop me, no matter what you say or do._

Sakura couldn't read Sarada's thoughts, so when Sarada smiled, she saw a different, new kind of smile – she couldn't put her finger on what was so different, but the fact that it left Sakura wondering was not as reassuring as she would like.

"You've changed," Sakura noticed, observing her closely. She should have known – or better yet, she should have noticed it sooner. Becoming a genin, going on missions, taking the chuunin exams… she should have figured as much. Sarada was a ninja, she was understanding more about the world they live in today, now understanding what duty, honor, and the will to protect precious people, was starting to signify.

She remembered the first time Sarada declared she wanted to be hokage.

"I managed to support one Hokage, I can support another future one," Sakura thought, her mind wandering to the past of the previous boy who declared his dream to be Hokage to everyone he met – lingering thoughts roamed her mind, undesired and unwelcomed. Sakura passed a smile down at Sarada, however, hoping things could stay like this for just a little while longer. She refused to let these moments get sullied by melancholic feelings.

Still, it seemed like Sarada learned more than just jutsu from their training.

"Hey, why don't we go to a clothes shop – do a little window shopping before we head to the flower shop? We can go visit Ino, yeah?" Sakura suggested, a tender smile curling up on her features.

Sarada stared at her for a moment, before she smiled and nodded her agreement.

"Okay," she approved, taking a few more bites of her omusubi with okaka and tomatoes.

.

"Hey, are you alright?" Sakura asked, staring down to Sarada as they continued walking to the Yamanka Flower Shop. Sarada stared up at her mother oddly, wondering why she was so paranoid. She found it odd, curious as to what could shake her mother so much. This was the second time she asked her this.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking about what Naruto-sama said today," Sarada said, observing Sakura's expression. "He was in our house in the middle of the night, you know. He said he was looking for Papa," Sarada explained, her eyes never leaving her mother's face. She spotted a small twitch in her mother's lips, but other than that, nothing out of the ordinary in her mind.

"Oh, was he?" she asked, feigning ignorance. Sakura guessed that's how she somehow made it back to her home, as though it was all just a distant dream. "That's odd, don't you think? I figured, with all his clones everywhere, he would know where your Papa was more than anyone." Sakura laughed, and Sarada continued to watch her.

"Yeah, that's what I said. But who knows. Naruto-sama has been acting so different lately, don't you think?" Her eyes continued to stare, able to see the physical movements her mother made, but unable to truly see what she was thinking.

"I haven't really talked to him all that much, Sarada-chan," she lied, a sad smile resting on her features.

"Oh. Well, I noticed he has. Ever since the chuunin exams, actually."

"Yeah?"

"I guess everyone has come out of the exam a little different," Sarada explained, watching the distant buildings now, unsure what to make of her mother's facial movements.

Silence ran between them.

"Hey, are _you_ okay?" Sarada asked this time, eyeing Sakura curiously. It was an endless game of check up between the two today, but things seemed out of the norm that it felt necessary to do so. Sakura waved her off, a sheepish giggle rising.

"Of course I am. What makes you think that?"

"You've been acting strange since this morning," she analyzed. Sakura shook her head, wondering if she was the one who was acting different this whole time. She gave Sarada a reassuring grin.

"I'm fine, just a bit tired is all."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," she answered, and was soon thankful that the Yamanaka shop was in view from their distance.

"Why don't we see how Ino and Inojin are doing?" she asked, a hopeful smile rising on her face. Sarada simply nodded.

.

"Sakura and Sarada-chan," Ino greeted, leaning against the counter. Sarada smiled, greeting her – basically – aunt, with a hug. Sakura greeted her with a light smile – no hug necessary between the two longtime friends.

"What are you guys up to?" she asked. Sarada made her way to the different flowers, smelling different colored tulips and daisies and daffodils.

"We just came from brunch and a little window shopping," Sakura explained.

"And you didn't invite me?" Ino asked, pretending to be offended. Sakura smirked.

"Mother – daughter brunch," she simply said, and Ino laughed, continuing to arrange a bouquet of flowers.

"Well I'm glad you stopped by. I am _so_ bored," Ino whined. "What's been going on?" Sakura shrugged.

"Nothing much has happened, really," she confessed. "How about you?"

"Still trying to train Inojin," Ino began, sighing at the thought. She took a deep breath, ready to unload her rant she has been saving _especially_ for Sakura. "Trying to get the other brats together so they can finally train to form our awesome Ino-Shika-Cho trio," Ino began, already getting herself upset just thinking about how they barely had a chance to train because of the other two. It was so hard to get all of them together, and it ticked her off that they would rather be doing other things or being lazy than worrying about training.

Ino scoffed, "Kids these days."

They all laughed.

"Yeah, I heard from ChoCho, how much she would much rather be eating than dealing with you," Sarada said, making Sakura giggle. Ino fumed, her face scrunching up into a grimace.

"Yeah, well they're _ninja._ They're going to need to learn it sooner or later. I know their missions for now don't really require advance ninja techniques, but you always have to be prepared. Thank goodness Inojin actually follows direction," she began. "I swear, they can be so lazy. Remember back in our day?"

Sakura shrugged. "They're Shikamaru's and Choji's child, respectively. What did you expect?"

"That's a good point. But I mean, my teammates were lazy bums, but they wouldn't skip out on training. It's this new generation's lack of duty. Just wish they could be like Inojin. He actually listens," Ino praised.

"That's because you would nag him otherwise," Sakura added, making Ino glower.

"Yeah, yeah." She huffed out air, blowing her hair out of her face.

"Well, we were just window shopping while we headed over here, I was thinking you might like to join us," Sakura invited. Ino's eyes brightened.

"Yeah, definitely. Maybe we can find Sarada-chan something cute, besides your old hand-me-downs," Ino suggested. Sarada's face brightened at the proposition, and Sakura looked at Ino with irritation, wondering what was wrong with what she used to wear. Ino merely giggled, taking off her work apron and calling for Inojin to watch over the store and to finish rearranging the flowers.

Inojin simply smiled, giving a curt, "Yes, Mother," and doing what he was told.

"My perfect child, knows exactly what to do," Ino praised, her eyes gleaming with pride.

"Just like his father." Sakura nodded, noticing how similar Inojin's personality was to Sai's.

"Yeah, he is. Too bad our lovely Hokage has him working so much nowadays. Well, not as much now that the exams are over, but still." Sakura nodded, understanding. "Why don't we walk and talk?"

They continued to talk, with Sarada right by Sakura's side.

.

Compared to the recent few hours with Ino and Sarada, coming back to a silent Uchiha residence felt a little out of place and lonely.

Sakura had the best day with her daughter. It was nice after the nightmare she experienced last night.

Afterwards, however, Sarada went to receive her mission at the Hokage Tower.

This left Sakura alone to her thoughts, finally able to drop her smile, her anxiety rising at her racing thoughts.

What was she to do at the moment? She didn't expect Sasuke back soon. He was either training or doing research – even when he was technically off on a mission, it seems he would still be thinking too much about it to let it go, especial an S-rank mission he spent years away from to complete.

She understood how important that mission was. She understood how dire it was for him to uncover the truth to prevent a possible threat before it causes havoc. He was doing it for the good of the village, serving his village.

But a part of her was upset with him – the petty (but understandably so) part of her that was upset that his daughter had spent _years_ asking about him, Sakura being forced to lie to her, and waiting for him to come back.

This was because she knew, a big part of her always knew – Sasuke wasn't one to stay in one place, to stay idle. She knew he was one to roam other parts of the world, to long for somewhere else besides Konoha – besides their home.

She knew this from the first time he left the village. What he sought after was solace for the loss he could not replace, never replace.

She understood that, but always knew it would affect Sarada.

But that's why, before Sarada-chan became a genin, she was with her a lot, practically at her hip. Now, she found that Sarada would be off on her own adventures more and more, seeming to need her less and less.

"But that's how life goes," Sakura said to herself, thinking how Sarada was at least better than her towards her mother when she was a kid.

Sakura settled for making herself tea, feeling reminiscent.

She wondered if Naruto was still busy with Akane. Her mind wandered, wondering how Naruto was dealing with it.

She frowned, even after a long absence, she knew him too well. She knew what he was thinking.

She heard a lot from Hinata, how he is so busy with everyone else, that he has no time for them. Hinata always told her she understood, but Sakura would have probably told him off by now.

Sakura sighed just thinking about him.

He could be so giving and considerate. Throughout all the years she had known him, he was the most altruistic person she had ever met.

And he was also _very_ dense. She guessed, that he probably didn't realize just how much damage he was causing by not being there for his family, too. If he wasn't the Hokage, she probably would have went in there herself and slapped him for her, so then maybe he could get it through his head.

She remembered she almost did one time, about ready to stomp into his office and demand he take a break for his family. If it weren't for Hinata, pleading for her not to, she would have had _a lot_ to say.

It was for the best, in hindsight, considering she had quite a bit of sake that night.

She frowned, pausing in her tracks as she heard the tea kettle scream, the steam flooding out. She quickly poured herself a cup, taking in the scent of the herbal tea. It calmed her.

"But he had to know, right?" Sakura mumbled, wondering if Naruto really didn't notice.

Sarada would constantly talk about Boruto; how he would deface Naruto's face on the monument (not like she herself didn't see what he would do), among other pranks. It was obviously done to get his attention.

He had to have seen that. _Right?_

"Gah! Why am I getting so caught up in Naruto's family problems?" she wondered, shaking her head. She had her own problems to deal with, anyways. She sighed, shaking her head. She knew why. She worried about Hinata and the kids.

At the moment, they were in the same predicament. _Kind of_.

"It's better if no one had to endure this kind of pain," Sakura said to herself, clenching her heart.

Still… knowing him, he would be more concerned about this new development. He was probably doing everything in his power to fix their predicament, or _something_ … whatever it was. She didn't think there was a Hokage manual guide for what to do when a daughter from a different dimension comes in and turns around everything they've once known.

Naruto must have told her what she uncovered with the DNA results by now.

She frowned, feeling guilty by this.

Like before, she felt like she was leaving the burden on Naruto, when he already had so much on his plate.

Now that she was alone, the fact that there were other, more important things at hand, came to her mind. Naruto asked her to only run the DNA results for him, and he said that's all she had to do. Still… Sakura bit her lip, feeling conflicted by this whole ordeal. She should be there, shouldn't she? This is as much as her problem as it is his, right?

She wanted to focus on Sarada and Sasuke, but her mind drifted, feeling the fact that Akane was here a much bigger problem. And she was here, doing nothing about it, letting Naruto take care of it all once again. He only asked her to talk to her and do the DNA test, probably because he knew how she would respond if he told her to do more. He knew what she was focused on.

"I mean, Sarada-chan will be on a mission after all. It's not like I can't do anything about this," Sakura thought to herself.

She stood, deciding whatever happens with Akane and Naruto, she needed to be there, too.

She never asked for this, but it wasn't solely Naruto's responsibility, not anymore.

If anything, that was her daughter _too._

That thought still shook her, wondering how that came to be, how their paths changed so much.

Regardless, the sooner they figured out more about Akane and how she got to their world, the sooner she could go back where she rightfully belonged.

She was sure, she would be happier there than here, anyways.

Apparently, the problems here were not hers. Things were different, and maybe even better in a different world. She couldn't be sure, but she knew Akane would be better off with parents that were together and didn't have as many obligations.

She needed to go back to where she belonged. To the happy family she didn't think was possible, but a family that she once wondered about many years ago.

.

"Oi, oi," Naruto grumbled in his sleep, trying to swat whatever was tickling his cheek away. He nuzzled his head into the pillow, before rolling over on his back. He could distinctly hear little giggles. His eyes fluttered open, his daughter coming into view. He smiled.

"Himawari-chan," Naruto mumbled, still exhausted from yesterday – he didn't get as much sleep as he needed. The girl in question, giggled, before saying a high-pitched "good morning" and running out the door. He presumed, to retrieve something as she seemed excited and he could hear rummaging from the other room.

He yawned, this type of morning being a rarity for him nowadays. He stretched, getting the crooks from his neck before walking to the bathroom.

He looked in the mirror, absolutely shocked (and a little bit horrified) by his appearance.

"EH!?"

He continued to stare at his appearance in the mirror, remembering exactly why the buzzcuts stayed after all these years.

"I need a haircut," he realized, eyeing the braids and pig tails curiously. His brows furrowed, attempting, but failing, to unbraid hair – it seemed like more of a knot than a braid, his hair too short, yet not short enough to stop the hair malfunction.

"Papa, you like it?" Himawari asked with the biggest smile on her face. He grinned, excitedly explaining how thankful he is that she made him look so pretty.

"Did you do this to my face." Himawari blushed, shaking her head no.

"It was actually Mr. Snuffles," Himawari explained, pointing to her stuffed bear. Naruto grinned, bending down to meet her eye to eye.

"Great! Then I have to thank Mr. Snuffles more than anything. I love it, Mr. Snuffles is really good at this stuff, neh?" Naruto grinned, taking the stuffed bear's arm and shaking it in gratitude. "I'm going to have to ask him to help me again later." Himawari watched, her eyes widening in shock at first before she sheepishly looked down to her feet.

"W-well, actually… Mr. Snuffles just helped. I'm the one who did most of the work."

"Well, next time I need to look so pretty, I will go to you, Himawari-chan," Naruto promised, making Himawari cheer and jumping for joy.

"You really like it?"

"Of course, Himawari-chan! It's awesome, I love it!"

"Come to the tea party then! I got you ready and everything. It's all set up in my room," Himawari urged, hoping he would. Her small hands grabbed onto his thumb, trying to pull him. Naruto frowned, knowing he couldn't personally be there.

"How about a clone go with you? I need to go to work soon," Naruto tried to explain, already feeling anxiety from being late to work. Shikamaru was not going to be happy about that. There's no way he would show it, but he could already see his nonchalant backlash or his oh so annoying passive aggressive snide remarks (now he'd be lucky if he got off with a sigh and a muttered, "troublesome"). if Naruto misses another meeting and Shikamaru is forced to explain to the daimyo that a reschedule is in order.

Which, Shikamaru liked to explain, is never pleasant.

Granted, it didn't happen a lot, of course. Still, when it happened, it was always annoying to reschedule.

Himawari averted her eyes at first, a bit dejected, but soon grinned, nodding excitedly. He made the familiar hand sign, before a clone appeared. The Naruto clone stared at the original and gave a hearty laugh before turning to Himawari. The original Naruto ruffled her hair, giving a kiss to her head, and soon going back to fixing himself up in the bathroom.

On top of his hair, his face was cluttered with makeup. He hurriedly splashed water on his face, knowing he was pressing for time.

Definitely couldn't go in looking like _this._

He chanted this in his head as he continued to pluck hair clips out of his hair.

.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. Himawari-chan was supposed to just wake you up," Hinata began, continuing to prepare breakfast.

"Don't worry, she did, just not the way I expected," Naruto laughed, before grabbing a slice of toast and putting it to his mouth. As he did so, he prepared his things to leave.

"Off to work, bye," he said, in such a haste that he pressed his lips in the juncture between her lip and cheek, before running out the door.

"Wait, Naruto-kun," she was about to warn, but he was already gone.

Hinata blushed, looking in the mirror and noticing the pink lipstick that was planted on her cheek. She giggled. she was so busy preparing breakfast, she didn't have time to look at his lips or the rims of his eyes before it was too late.

She automatically knew; that was Himawari's doing.

Naruto was already out the door before she could comment on it.

She hoped that wouldn't cause too much trouble, however.

.

"You're late," Shikamaru sighed, shaking his head.

"Yeah, sorry," Naruto apologized, fixing his robes. He turned to the person beside Shikamaru, awed.

"Sakura," he greeted. Sakura smiled, seeming a bit anxious.

"Sorry for intruding. I heard you're already late for a meeting," Sakura began.

"No, it's fine," he began, when Shikamaru coughed, giving him a look that it would be too troublesome to reschedule _again._ Naruto nodded. "As much as I would love to catch up, however, Shikamaru will nag me if I am late again for my next meeting."

"I understand. It's just, it's about a previous problem," she started. Naruto had a feeling he already knew. He grabbed her arm, ushering her a few steps away from Shikamaru, although that wouldn't do much good if he wanted to talk to her in private.

"Shikamaru, go explain that something came up and I apologize for being late. Just need five minutes," he ordered, and Shikamaru nodded, heading to the meeting room.

Naruto sighed taking a deep breath, finally.

As he was falling asleep last night, he came to a decision. No matter what, he would stay by his family's side. No matter what his lingering feelings told him, no matter how much they surfaced when he got a glimpse of what could have been, there was no way he could trade it for the life he had now.

He was immersed in guilt, reminding himself that to long for one, would mean he'd devalue his other life, _his_ life – the one he had now. Sure, it appeared he would have been happier if maybe other decisions would have been made, if other circumstances were drawn.

But there was no way he could ever regret his wife or his children. He loved them too much.

Hinata always said he had such a big heart.

Maybe that was his problem: he had _too_ big a heart. He longed for both lives.

He wondered if that made him selfish.

His thoughts were soon forgotten, however, when he felt eyes on him.

But it was odd now, having Sakura's peering eyes on him.

Sakura didn't mean to look at his lips. But they seemed oddly different. Her gaze shifted to his eyes, knowing they were darker, and not because of the bags.

"Makeup?" Sakura eyed him curiously, raising an eyebrow.

He could feel his face heat, his ears and cheeks turning a light pink hue, like he was still that boisterous young genin again. Just like that, he felt like he went from a strong Hokage to the awkward little boy he once was. He was too embarrassed to make eye contact, feeling so, _so_ awkward as realization struck him: he must have not been able to wash away all of the makeup.

He grabbed a tissue from his desk, dabbing it with his saliva and soon tried to wipe it off. He grumbled, wondering why it wouldn't come off with water.

"Neh, sorry," he apologized. Sakura said it was fine, and mentioned it must be water resistant. She grabbed a tiny bottle from her bag and poured some liquid on a pink cloth.

"Here," she said, offering him a handkerchief to wipe it off. "Don't want you looking like that for your next meeting," she teased. He stared at the pink cloth for a moment before taking it.

"Ah – thanks," he said, wiping before looking down at the smudge of lipstick and mascara on the handkerchief. He handed it back to her, but she held her hand out, a motion that told him to keep it.

"Anyways," she continued. "Look, about the previous night."

"Sakura-chan, if you're curious at all, don't worry, I have it all covered. I told her about the results already." Sakura nodded.

"Still," she began, but a sharp knock interrupted her.

"If you want to discuss this more then we can later, when I have more time," he reassured, offering a grin. He went to his desk, jotting down an address before handing it to her. "In the meantime, why don't you go pay Akane-chan a visit? She most likely wants to talk to you," he suggested, already moving behind his desk once more to get his papers in order. "She'd really like to talk to you, actually," he added, his eyes perusing the meeting notes Shikamaru left on his desk. He read through them as he tried to usher her to the door.

Sakura nodded, very surprised by this Naruto. When his eyes were darting through his papers, she could see how tired and annoyed he was when reading through them. She never saw him like this, but she supposed this was common for a Hokage. She frowned.

She remembered seeing Tsunade in similar situations: tired and cranky all the time.

However, she didn't think Naruto would let the position consume him, too.

But it did, paperwork ironically becoming his demise.

"Was there anything else?" he asked when he noticed she didn't make any movements to leave. She shook her head.

"Sorry. You just look… tired," she explained, observing him more. Frankly, he made her feel tired and old. Naruto took a moment to look down at her, offering a hackneyed smile.

"Neh, I am. I was finally able to go home yesterday. Even that didn't help as much as I would have thought – or liked."

She would have told him more, would have lectured him if need be, because obviously, this was unhealthy. Even Hokage's needed a break.

She assumed that's what the bottles of sake were for.

Her lips pursed, knowing this was a bit _too_ excessive. She remembered the days she would openly lecture him and even bonk him on the head a few times until he got it through his thick skull.

He'd only listen half of the time, but it was better than nothing. She would take what she could get.

But now, she knew that wasn't her place. Instead, with a disappointed sigh, she merely bowed, giving a small farewell to her Hokage before turning away.

"I'll see you later, Naruto."

.

Akane eyes fluttered open, rubbing the crust from her eyes. She looked towards the spot Naruto's clone was last night, to only realize he was gone. She frowned, realizing that Naruto's clone must have puffed away while she was sleeping.

She laid back down, arms folded behind her head and her eyes focused on the ceiling.

She was thankful that those previous dreams didn't occur last night. However, they were still on her mind. She was trying to decipher what they could mean.

"Should I tell Papa?" she asked herself. She smiled at the idea of going to meet with her Papa and Mama, but her smile soon fell.

No, it's better if she didn't tell either of them.

She looked to her hand, flashbacks of blood covering her fingers making her sit up. She decided it was about time she got ready, anyways.

She had a feeling that Naruto wasn't telling her everything. He said Sakura needed time to deal with the fact that her DNA matched, yet she felt there was something else that he didn't want to tell her.

She had to admit, she was a bit on edge when she first realized her parents weren't together in this world. It was odd, to say the least. Seeing someone like Boruto, at first, freaked her out to think that there was a world where she wouldn't be there child… a world where she didn't exist, where she wasn't with them. It was uncanny how certain chain of events can change lives so easily.

She wondered how this happened. She wondered what was so different about this world – what chain of events changed, that caused this to happen.

Either way, a part of her felt so out of place coming here, being here in a world where her parents held completely different lives. Another part felt right at home. It was just _weird._

Another part felt selfish when she looked at both Boruto and Sarada. This Sarada wanted to be Hokage and is getting trained by Naruto. They were the ones who experienced her parents. They were there when they were little and the ones that took care of them.

This Naruto never got to hold her in his arms or be with her as a kid. He wasn't there to fight off all the monsters in her closet (when she actually believed in them), and he wasn't the one who would help her in her training.

However, she knew one thing was the same: this Naruto still had a loving heart. She was so happy, when they talk and when he said she can call him Papa. It's like he had this unconditional love for her, despite just meeting her. It made her feel warm on the inside, knowing that even here, her Papa would still love her.

She's still afraid that maybe Naruto spreads himself too thin, at least, that's what she remembered her mother complaining about before. She was inclined to believe, that no matter what dimension, her father would always tried to give as much of himself to everyone.

However, she was worried, especially here, he may not have enough to give.

This Naruto and Sakura don't have the unconditional love her real parents had, she was sure. Since they just met. Yet, Naruto was willing to give her as much love as he can, given the circumstances…

Given that this world seems to be held up by so many restraints.

"After all… it seems… the world I once knew, is gone for now. This is my new reality. Until, I can go back, of course." Akane halfheartedly chuckled.

Akane frowned, soon gulping, because a haunting thought ran through her head.

"If I can ever go back."

She wasn't sure if that could ever happen anymore.

Not if her dreams meant anything.

And she was afraid, terrified, that they did.

She was terrified that if she tried going back, the only thing she would see was blood – the only thing she would be left with being heartache.

.

 _AN:_ Akane and Sakura bonding session next time, with many questions answered! This was setting things up for what's to come. Please excuse the language, but this chapter was a real bitch to write, so I hope you guys enjoyed it (although I'm worried it was a bit confusing). I'm still feeling odd with this one, I may edit it some more. Next chapter should come out sooner than this one (if all goes according to plan and nothing comes up). I also updated the poll in my profile if you want to vote what you think I should work on!

 **Also, IMPORTANT!** I just want to apologize for not bringing in another important person that I should have, but have been holding off: Sasuke. I know many people are speculating and feeling he's the big bad guy, but he's really not, at least not in this story. I'm trying to be realistic here, and so I'm just trying to give a realistic perspective on how characters feel about Sasuke in their point of view. Not to say he didn't do fucked up stuff (like Naruto, like all of them, really), but hopefully I will get the chance to explain it better for you! At the same time, I still need to give his, and, it's okay to speculate of course, but just remember the whole story isn't presented yet! So I hope no one is thinking I'm bashing him or hating on him, because that's the last thing I want to do. I don't want to give anything away for next chapter, but I will say that things will become clearer about him next chapter. Hope no one is turned off, or anything because of this, I just want to say that the whole story hasn't been given yet. I mean, you are free to stop reading of course, I totally understand that. Just want to be clear about this and warn that things won't be easy for anyone! But hopefully you guys will trust me in writing this!

Please review and let me know what you think or if you have any questions at all! Also, if there are any errors or something I need to fix, please let me know! I edit the chapters, but I can't always catch my own mistakes. Your input means a lot! Till next time!


	6. Chapter 6

_AN:_ Okay, I'm so sorry for the long wait. But if I'm being completely honest, I lost motivation to finish this chapter and lost my muse. I needed to focus on IRL stuff that's been taking up a lot of my time. So yeah. I'm surprised I was even able to finish this chapter as soon as I did. I used a few Japanese terms to make it feel more real, but I put parenthesis of what they meant and tried my best not to use them as much. Regardless, I hope you guys enjoy it. :)

.

 **Chapter 6**

.

"Mama?" Akane wondered, dumbstruck.

Both pink haired females were taken by surprised. Akane, because she didn't expect Sakura to be here. She just finished showering, merely in a bathrobe and her pink hair a wet mess. Sakura, because what Akane called her. Sakura paused for a moment, the words she rehearsed and practiced in her head, forgotten. Sakura raised a brow, knowing this was most likely a bad time.

It took Sakura a few seconds to shake out of her stupor.

"Sorry, I'll come back later – when you're ready," Sakura said politely. She gave a small wave and a curt smile before she was ready to leave. Akane immediately frowned, her arms extended and hoping to change her mind.

"No, no, no, it's fine! Don't worry about that! I don't really care, please come in! If you came by it must have been important, right? I was just combing my hair right now," Akane tried to persuade, hoping she would stay. She gave a small, awkward chuckle. Her grin grew as she grabbed ahold of Sakura's hand, attempting to pull her in.

"Well, it wasn't anything of major importance, but I did want to talk to you."

"Okay, okay, don't worry at all. I don't care if you're in here, really." She was so eager to get her inside and talk to her. She continued hold of her hand, hoping to usher into her apartment. Sakura smiled courteously, unable to refuse.

As Akane babbled on about random things from having to get up early, to the chuunin exams, to her living arrangements now, Sakura took notice of her features. As she glanced to Akane's face and hair and smile, she now realized, that yes, she looked exactly like her. It was uncanny, as though she was looking at a reflection of her past self as a genin.

Except her eyes, of course. Her eyes were showered in deep blue emotions, longing, and love – just like her father's. Her cheeks were also a little rounder than her own back then, more like Naruto's when he was a genin. Sakura took her eyes away, shaking out of her awe to address her.

"I would have suggested we go out today, but that might not be the best idea – people would ask questions and gossip," Sakura explained, and Akane nodded, understanding.

"Yeah, I get it. It's okay." Akane moved to her small kitchen. "Water? Tea?" she asked. Sakura shook her head.

"Water is fine, thank you." Sakura looked around, noticing the somewhat messy room. It wasn't a total mess, but she saw some clothes, bandages, and Akane's ninja weapons lying around the floor and table haphazardly. She didn't mention it however; she just observed. She also realized that other than that, the room was pretty plain, but it made sense considering the fact that she was only supposed to be here for the chuunin exams. Akane came back from her tiny kitchen with two glasses of water in her hand. She shoved some of her ninja weapons off her coffee table with her elbow (as recklessly as that looked to Sakura), before placing Sakura's glass down and taking a sip of her own. Akane took a seat, sitting cross legged on the floor.

"Papa already told me the news, by the way, that you're my… my Mama."

"Yes," she cut off. "That's what the results say, but we all know that you belong somewhere else, where you have a different life in a different world. I promise you, we will help you find your home," she reassured, a curt smile displayed on her features. Akane turned to Sakura for a moment, squaring her shoulder with a blank stare for several seconds. It took Akane some time to process Sakura's words, before her initial shock dissipated.

Akane's lips pursed, nodding silently. Her eyes moved to her hands that where clenched on her lap, knowing full well that Sakura was just doing what was necessary. Akane shouldn't make herself too comfortable here. A sad smile crawled up her face at the thought, the creases in her forehead and her eyes shrouded with regret.

"I'm sorry, if I messed everything up for you – if you're angry at me. Papa didn't want to admit it yesterday, but I could tell…"

Sakura frowned, realizing Akane's emotions were out in the open, so easy to read – the more she was with her, the more she realized how similar her personality was to Naruto's. In a way, it was endearing to see. Her mouth felt dry as she took in a deep breath at the thought, because another part of her feared this thought at the same time. She looked over to the girl that looked so much like her, a smile on her countenance.

"Hey, who said I was angry? I was just a little shocked – of course. It's not every day I find out about a child I had no idea existed. But I'm not angry – not at you. It's not your fault." Sakura left out the part that she was angry with herself more than anything – she was angry at her own situation and the cards she was dealt with. They were cards she handpicked herself, but it still seemed like she was given a bad hand.

Even so, Akane hesitantly nodded at her words, understanding but not really believing. A part of her still felt as though it was her fault.

Sakura noticed the somber expression on her, the dullness in her eyes, before standing up, moving closer to the girl.

"Hey, do you need help with your hair?" Sakura asked, hoping to change the subject, and realized her hair was incredibly wild when it was down.

"Yes please!" Akane's frown immediately shot up into a grin, running off into the bathroom to find her comb.

.

Sakura grabbed Akane's pink tresses, trying to run a comb through them, tangles and all. Akane scrunched her face, this feeling all too familiar, only a little worse than what she remembered, knowing she was never the best at upkeeping her hair. Sakura's eyes bore concentration and focus, as if she was performing a very important medical procedure.

"Geez, when's the last time you combed your hair?" Sakura asked, growing a bit frustrated with Akane's pink locks. Akane in question blushed sheepishly, looking down to her crossed legs.

"Well, with the chuunin exams, I didn't really have time to worry about my hair," she explained bashfully. Sakura was more baffled by how thick her hair was, and how long it was, the comb seemingly fighting a losing battle. Sakura stuck her tongue out, in complete concentration.

This was going to take a while.

"You have so much hair. Why don't you just cut it then?" Sakura asked, finding it hard to comb through her hair but still making the effort. She fisted big strands of hair, and then combed the ends so she wouldn't hurt her. Sakura continued to fight and comb through tangles of pink hair, wondering how on earth a child of hers would leave it like this for so long.

She knew she wouldn't be the one to teach her child this. She would think she raised her girl better than that – at least, she hoped her mother from a different dimension would do so.

"Did your father do your hair or something?" Sakura rhetorically asked. Akane shook her head, blushing again, deciding to answer anyways.

"Well, no. I promise, it's not usually like this! I promise, back home, my Mama helped me with it. It's just been hard to manage while I'm on my own now. Not exactly the thing we do during the chuunin exams, or in Earth Country for that matter. I mean, kunoichi's hair from Iwagakure is still nice, just, well, mine was definitely different. A lot of people thought I had my hair like this for attention," Akane said. Sakura nodded, a deep frown forming. "But well, I didn't really have the time anyways," Akane continued to explain, embarrassed.

"It's fine, it's fine, I was just curious," Sakura laughed. Akane nodded, still blushing and still embarrassed. She should have figured, that no matter which Sakura there was, she would warn her about her wild pink hair. She didn't think that she would still ask her to cut her hair too.

But it just showed how nearly identical they were.

"Hey, you know, Mama always told me, that since I'm a ninja now, it would be easier if I cut it. Mama told me how much it got in the way during her chuunin exam, so she cut it off. And it was like a weight was lifted off her shoulders, so she could protect her teammates. She said it meant so much to do that, because it was her way of saying that she would become a better kunoichi because of it." Sakura stopped, her eyes wide for a second before she gave Akane a warm smile from above.

"You're right. And she's right, too. Your Mama sounds like she knows her stuff."

Akane giggled. "Mama always got kinda annoyed when I refused to cut my hair, because I was so stubborn," Akane giggled. But Sakura couldn't see, too busy brushing away the tangles. Akane winced when Sakura brushed a little too hard, Sakura apologizing afterwards. "She would lecture me all the time about how if I'm going to grow my hair so much, that I needed to actually take care of it. And if not, that it would be better if I just chopped it all off."

"Mind sharing why you never listened to her then?" Sakura wondered. Figures she would be stubborn like Naruto - and herself, to a certain extent. Akane giggled.

"Well, I like putting it in pig tails. Funny story about that, actually. Well, not really funny. Let's just say I thought Papa's sexy no jutsu was really cool, I wanted to have her hairstyle."

"His… _what_?" Sakura had to let go of her hair or else she would have surely ripped it out. "That baka, how could he let a little girl – his _daughter_ – see that jutsu?" She had to remind herself that this Naruto, had not done that at all. But she knew, under the right circumstances, he most certainly would have been so reckless as to show her! Akane paid no mind, enjoying her reaction.

"It's actually a really funny story," Akane laughed, turning around and hoping to calm Sakura down. "But it's funny because my Mama actually had the same reaction." Sakura's anger subsided at that, her face heating at the idea in embarrassment. "Although, now I don't know if I should tell you," Akane said, trying to stop herself from chuckling at her reaction by covering her mouth. "I remember Papa was really scared when you found out about that."

"What happened?" Akane giggled louder, unable to hold in her fits of laughter any longer.

"Okay, okay. It started when I told him that some boys were picking on me. He wanted to help me feel better. But he figured if he said it, it would have been really lame – which it would have been, so I don't blame him. He ended up using the sexy no jutsu to teach me about... well... But she had clothes on, I promise! Papa wasn't that reckless!" Akane reassured, seeing the steam coming out of Sakura's ears the more she talked.

Akane laughed thinking of the memory despite herself.

.

"Papa..." a little Akane cried, running to her father who was busy talking with a fellow villager – a merchant, complaining about how hard it was to work in the village now. Not something that Akane had a total grasp on. Naruto looked over to where he heard Akane yell, raising an eyebrow.

He smiled at the merchant. "I will do what I can to help you, in the mean time you will be compensated."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," the merchant said before he bowed and walked the opposite direction. Akane stopped her crying for a moment to look at the back of the merchant, wondering what they were talking about.

"What's wrong, Akane-chan?" Naruto asked, hoping to get her back on track. Akane remembered why she was crying, sniffling once more and wiping her tears.

"There were little boys that picked on me!" Akane cried out, turning back to her father.

"Did they hurt you?" he asked, his eyes serious, his hand on her shoulder. She shook her head.

"No, I beat them up, of course," Akane said, wiping tears enough to pat herself on the back at that. She was no sissy. "B-but still, they hurt my feelings. None of them liked my pig tails you did. They all said it was weird with my pink hair!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow, before smiling at his little girl.

"Well, they have no idea what they're talking about! You have hair just like your mother, and she has one of the prettiest hair I've seen, just like your grandma too," Naruto tried to reason, remembering back to his mother's long red hair. Akane pouted, crossing her arms.

"Tell that to the dumb boys and girls in my class!" she pouted. "I hate them! They're just jealous that I'm better than them."

"Now, now, Akane-chan-"

"It's true! I'm so much cooler."

"That's no way to act, Akane-chan. You should know better. Give them a chance, they don't know any better," Naruto tried to reason with her.

"They couldn't even say it to my face. They were whispering about it, and laughing at me behind my back. They're all a bunch of cowards! They thought it was really sloppy," Akane said, scowling at the little kids who didn't know any better.

"Did you hear them say it to you?"

"Well… no, but they were looking at me!" Naruto sighed.

"Here, let me show you something." Naruto frowned, knowing he wouldn't be able to get to her. That was when an idea came up. he grinned. "Let's take you back to school, Akane-chan." Akane whined a bit, before Naruto gave her a look that said, "Don't try it." Akane pouted, before she nodded, stretching her arms up in hoping he could carry her.

"You're going to get way too big for this," Naruto laughed, before picking her up so she could sit over his shoulders.

As they approached the academy, Akane was surprised when they stopped by a woman with beautiful long, blonde hair, in two pigtails. Naruto put her down, before he gave a wry smile to the woman.

"Akane-chan!" the woman waved. Akane blushed, thinking this woman was so gorgeous. She wanted to be just like her.

"W-who are you?" she asked, hiding behind her father's robes.

"I'm... Um, I'm Naruko. I want you to know, you're so pretty, I love your pig tails. Don't ever change for anyone else. Because you're great as you are," Naruko said. Naruko moved to pick her up, beaming at the girl. Akane seemed mesmerized by the woman, feeling her soft blonde hair.

"Pretty," Akane couldn't help but say, wanting to do her hair just like Naruko. She wanted to be just like her.

"H-hey, Naruto! S-sexy no jutsu? By the academy? Really?" Iruka asked, hoping he would cut it out (they were by the Academy for crying out loud), before he spotted Naruto hoping he would shut up in front of Akane. Iruka moved closer, before realizing Akane was there too.

Naruto sighed.

"Sexy no... jutsu?" Akane wondered her head tilted. Naruko's eyebrow twitched, before letting the girl down and dispelling.

"Wait a sec... that was you, Papa, wasn't it?" Akane wondered, completely stunned. "Papa! Papa, how did you _do_ that? Have you taught Nii-san that?"

"No, no _, noooo_ ," Naruto denied, knowing Sakura would _kill_ him if he did. Iruka raised an eyebrow, accusingly. Naruto sheepishly smiled, scratching the back of his head.

Okay, so he might have taught him this particular jutsu. But white lies never hurt once in a while.

"Sexy no jutsu, sexy no jutsu, Papa teach me that!" Akane begged, while Naruto tried to shush her from screaming the jutsu so loudly.

"What have you done?" Iruka asked, trying to hold back a laugh despite himself. Naruto stammered, asking the same thing, knowing he was in for it now.

.

"Naruto..." Sakura seethed.

"Yeah, that was how you said Papa's name." Sakura sighed, trying to recompose herself once more. She figured, at least he didn't actually teach her Sexy no Jutsu or anything like that. It was pointless to get angry now, unable to do much about that anyways. Sakura shook her head, deciding to get back to untangling Akane's pink mane.

"Well, I believe that." Both ended up laughing at the thought, Akane picturing it in her head, and Sakura trying to picture it – a part of her afraid to.

Once the laughter subsided, it was quiet for once; both in their own heads, both with a crazy amount of questions they were too apprehensive to ask.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Sakura finally asked, still brushing through pink locks.

"It's about Sasuke-Ojisan, right?" Akane asked knowingly. Sakura paused, before slowly nodding.

"Yeah," she answered, because Akane's back was turned.

"I figured," Akane said, knowing that her uncle was a big part of Sakura's life, especially in this world it looked like. "Well, if you're curious, Ojisan (uncle) was still a big part of our lives." Sakura frowned, wondering what that meant for her here.

While Sasuke always left the village here, she wondered what it meant if he was still there with them. She wondered if it was the fact that things were different here, that caused it all – if it was her fault he left.

Akane continued, "But he always left. That is still the same. He still does the same thing he does now – with his missions. He still left Sarada-chan." Akane looked down to her water, watching the stillness of the water, except the one droplet that rolled down. Her fingers pressed against the glass of water, her lips pressed together. Sakura paused, taking a moment to attempt to look at Akane, her head tilted in hopes of reading Akane's expression – wondering if she was serious.

"Did he? Sarada-chan is still…?" Akane nodded, scratching her cheek.

"Yeah, she was still in that world. She looked a little different though, but she was still called the same. I'm guessing uncle still picked the name perhaps?" Akane shrugged, unsure where her name came from. "She stayed with us, when Sasuke-ojisan or Karin-obasan had to leave."

"Karin?" Akane nodded, her lips in a straight line. "She was... she couldn't be there all the time for Sarada-chan, and Sarada-chan hated them both for it. We were the best of friends. Well mostly," Akane said, a sad smile evident because she knew that same relationship couldn't be established here. She remembered when she first entered the chuunin exams, and was so excited when she saw her (there were differences from the Sarada she knew back home, but she still recognized her face), but was also disheartened when Sarada had no idea who she was.

Sakura nodded, understanding.

"So, just so you know, no matter what world, Ojisan will always have to leave," Akane said. "The last time he left with Oniisan."

"You had… an older brother?" Akane nodded, but furrowed her brows at her hair tugging a little in result.

"Yeah, Uncle is kind of doing to Nisan (big brother) what he is doing now with Boruto-kun. Nisan is the really smart one. He is the one who likes to study and know a lot of things, like you. Ojisan doesn't believe it, since he's Papa's child," Akane laughed. "I'm apparently more like Papa in that regard. I never particularly liked studying," Akane sheepishly chuckled, scratching the side of her head.

"Yeah, you remind me of Naruto," Sakura said, a small smile forming at the thought.

"You know, when I first saw that you were with Ojisan instead of Papa, I was really angry and sad, because it felt all wrong. I hated it, it was weird to me, especially since Ojisan would leave here and you felt pain from it. But, now that I see that Sarada-chan has all your love, well... I'm really happy for her, that she had you there for everything. I'm glad that at the very least, she has someone who is so close to her," Akane confessed, feeling like she was biting back tears.

Sakura stopped, giving that some thought. She never imagined a world where she wasn't so close with Sarada. They did everything together. She was basically her mother, which was one of the things she took pride in here. She would do anything for that child – _her_ child.

"So I guess things changed here, huh. I'm glad the Sarada-chan in your world was surrounded by love."

"I think... I think why things turned out so differently... The reason why you fell for Papa sooner there, was because... I think it was because you realized it sooner that Uncle Sasuke could never change who he is, and over there, you didn't want him to have to change. You accepted uncle for who he is, and knew that you couldn't make him stay in the village, since that just wasn't him at all. But I remember you and uncle were still great friends. He still talked to you. I think you and Papa always did talk to him, actually, from what I remember. Like I remember one time, how you got super mad at both Papa and Uncle," Akane started, recalling the memory.

.

Akane remembered waiting with her mother, Sakura busy with paperwork at the hospital while Akane was in a time out. Akane pouted, her arms crossed as she stared at her mother write down something, focused on her task.

"Akane-chan, don't you have homework to finish?" Sakura offered, stern and motherly.

"Mama," Akane whined. Sakura sighed, putting down her pen.

"Come on, Akane-chan. You know it's important to learn the shinobi rules," Sakura explained. Akane pouted, her lips in a small whimper before she tried to defend her actions of not studying.

"B-but Papa said the only rule I need to take to heart is to always protect my precious people and never give up!" Sakura sighed, a small snort resulting from her daughter's words. _Of course._ Before she had a chance to respond, she heard a screeching from the window. She stood immediately, seeing Naruto lurch through the window, Sasuke lugged on his back.

"What happened," Sakura demanded, moving to both as Naruto pleaded for Sakura to help Sasuke.

Akane never saw her father so concerned. She watched innocently, unable to understand what was going on, or what was wrong with her uncle.

"Please, Sakura-chan, help him. Something went wrong with the new jutsu," Naruto explained. And Sakura instantly helped Naruto get Sasuke on her desk, her checking his chakra levels before quickly beginning to perform medical ninjutsu.

"Naruto, Akane-chan is here." Naruto nodded, his eyes finally moving to his daughter, who stood wide eyed and not comprehending what was going on or what was wrong. He walked over to her before picking Akane up and taking her outside her office. They both sat on a bench, outside the room. Akane watched as her father fidgeted and wait, his knees moving up and down.

"Papa, what happened?" Akane asked, her tone scared that something really bad happened. Naruto paused, taking a moment to grin at Akane.

"Sorry, Akane-chan. I was just a little worried about your Uncle Sasuke. But Sakura-chan will save him, I know it. Don't worry, Akane-chan," Naruto said, placing her on his lap and rubbing her back in hopes to placate her. When he realized she was staring at him with concern, he tried to mask his apprehension and fear, but Akane could still feel it, having a bad feeling herself.

It took a while, but Sakura finally came out, wiping beads of sweat off her forehead, before she nearly fell from chakra depletion. Luckily, Naruto was there, catching her in his arms. Akane stood from the bench, calling to her mother.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto muttered her name with concern.

"Don't worry, he will live, I stabilized him for now," Sakura mumbled, ready for a long nap. "He needs rest. Ask a nurse to bring a gurney for him." Naruto did just that, calling for nurses to bring Sasuke into the infirmary.

"Neh, Sakura-chan, better if you both stay here, right? You're chakra levels are scary low" Naruto said. Sakura tiredly nodded, before Akane could hear light snores coming from her mother.

"Is Mama and Uncle going to be okay?" Akane asked. Naruto nodded, smiling and placing Sakura on a second gurney. He took Akane in his arms, following both his teammates.

"Yeah, she just needs to rest a bit," he reassured, ruffling her bright pink hair. Akane looked down to the floor, still unconvinced. "In the meantime, let's get them both food before they wake up. Right now, they're both out of chakra, so they'll need some nourishment," he suggested. Akane nodded, hoping she could do something to help them both.

.

Akane went with her father to go get everyone food, knowing all their favorites and knowing they must have been starving.

They waited in stools, waiting for the food to be prepared.

"Akane-chan… what were you doing at the hospital with Sakura-chan at that time anyways? You're supposed to be in the academy," he realized, raising a brow.

"I... I snuck out of the academy during lunch," Akane said guiltily, her cheeks heating from embarrassment and knowing she didn't want to get in trouble. Naruto raised an eyebrow. "But don't worry, Mama said she would take me back after she finished paperwork. I had only missed a bit of lunch and recess at that time."

"Why did you sneak out?" he asked. Akane smiled, her chest rising with pride.

"Because! I won't learn anything there. You said hands on experience is the best, that's how you learned to become Hokage! So I'm taking your word for it!" Akane reasoned. Naruto sighed, shaking his head with a small laugh. His hand moved to his forehead, wondering how she managed to always manipulated his words like this.

"When I said that, I didn't mean you can just neglect your studies," Naruto tried to say, his brows furrowing and the creases on his forehead increasing as he tried to grasp how to teach her the importance of school. Akane still grinned.

"But didn't you barely study your books? Why do I have to? The most important thing for a ninja to do is protect their precious people, so all that other stuff isn't as important as getting stronger to do that, right?" Akane tried to convince. Naruto laughed, shaking his head and realizing that Akane seemed to be just like him in terms of not wanting to study. She was definitely as energetic as him, but having her own type of smarts.

"You're definitely smarter than me in getting what you want, you know." Akane looked at him oddly for a second, before giving him her best smile.

"That's because I'm cunning, right? That's the word Mama said I was!"

"You know, that may be true, but my situation was a little different," Naruto tried to explain.

"What do you mean, Papa?"

"You would know if you paid attention in class." Akane pouted. "If you applied yourself, you could definitely be Hokage."

"If I applied myself? Why? Because right now Niisan is ahead of me?" Akane said, furrowing her brows and pouting.

"Something tells me your brother doesn't want to be Hokage like you do," Naruto laughed. Akane frowned.

"But if he wanted to... he would have a better chance than me, right? Niisan was already able to get rasengan down by this time, right?" Akane asked, looking to the ground. Naruto frowned, starting to understand why she was feeling so down, why she was always so loud and wanting to get more attention. He smiled, kneeling down to give her a reassuring smile.

"Hey, hey, Shina is doing his own thing. And you're doing yours! You're pretty much at the top of your class too - well you would be if you go to class," Naruto lectured, eyeing her demandingly. Akane shrunk into her stool, pouting before squaring her shoulders and standing straighter, her fist clenched and ready to reason back.

"B-but, Papa! I'm... well, I'm training! Because I want to be stronger!" Akane said her arms high as she tried to flex her small biceps. Naruto laughed.

"Hey, you can someday. I wouldn't worry about that. But you need to actually stay in class." Akane nodded, finally relenting for now. Their discussion paused when their order was ready. Naruto smiled, thanking the cashier, before they both walked out the restaurant.

"You think Nii-san's mission will be long?" Akane looked up to her father, hoping he knew more about her brother and Sarada's mission.

"Hopefully not if he wants to keep traveling with Sasuke," Naruto laughed. "But something tells me your uncle is going to have to stay in Konoha for a while anyways."

"That means Nii-san and Sarada-chan will be here a lot, right? And Sarada-chan will be able to spend more time with her Papa?" Akane tried, hoping for the best. Naruto smiled, ruffling her pink hair.

"You're really considerate of other people's feelings, aren't you, Akane-chan? That's great," Naruto complimented. Akane looked up, a deep grin forming. "But yeah, I'm sure that will be the case." Akane smiled gratefully. "I wouldn't be surprised if they're already here, actually." Akane's face light up at the thought.

"But we better hurry before their food gets cold," Naruto said, kneeling down so he could give her a piggy back ride.

"Yay!" Akane cheered, before jumping on his back, and giggled all the way to the hospital.

.

Once they arrived at the hospital, Naruto was stopped by a nurse, who wanted to discuss both his teammates conditions. Akane took that opportunity to run to the room they were in.

However, for a moment, she stopped outside the door, barely hearing Sasuke's voice. It was low and hard, but she remembered what she could make out.

"Sakura… thank you," Sasuke rasped. "You know, I really do respect you. You've become strong. And, and you're dear to me." Akane could hear Sakura's laugh.

"I'm sorry, for not being here more. I'm sorry," he continued.

There was a long silence between them, before she could hear Sakura give off another tired, but happy laugh.

"Sasuke-kun, this sounds so unlike you… but I appreciate it. I understand. I wouldn't have it any other way. I want you to be happy, too. But talk to your daughter, please. She really needs you at this time. She doesn't understand." She heard Sasuke grunt.

"I know."

Akane jumped, when she heard her father's voice behind her, mumbling because he had a piece of bread in his mouth.

"What are you doing, Akane-chan?" Naruto asked, quirking a brow. Akane sheepishly giggled, turning her back to the door and grinning.

"N-nothing!" she squealed, feeling as though she was caught red handed in ease dropping. Naruto walked to her, before picking her up and opening the door to see Sasuke's back turned away from Sakura, facing the window, while Sakura stared at the ceiling, before she looked over to Naruto and Akane and smiled.

"Naruto, Akane-chan," Sakura greeted, sitting up from her bed.

"Mama! Are you alright?" Akane asked. Sakura nodded. "Good!" she said, before Naruto decided to have some fun and put Akane on Sasuke's bed, so she could effectively jump on him and scream in his ear to make sure he was alright.

Sasuke merely grumbled something incoherent, while they all laughed.

"Uncle! What jutsu were you working on? Can you teach me something for once? You only teach Nii-san cool jutsu!" Akane asked. Sasuke grumbled again, peering at the little girl that tugged at his robes and his hair. She was like a monkey, jumping around.

"Maybe he'll finally teach you once you settle down, Akane-chan," Sakura laughed. Naruto laughed too, while Sasuke glared at the man, knowing he did this on purpose. He grabbed the girl by her shirt, giving a monotone stare before he sighed.

They all laughed, except Akane of course, who was feeling a little bratty, until they heard the knock on the door.

"Oh, that should be Shinachiku and Sarada-chan," Naruto thought aloud. "They're back form their mission earlier than expected."

Akane stopped whining, before the biggest grin rose as the door opened.

.

Akane mewled in pain, feeling Sakura tug a little too hard at one point in combing her hair.

"Sorry about that. But I think I got all the tangles out at least! Hey, I'm going to try a different hair style, okay?" Sakura asked, hoping to change the topic. Hearing her story made her uneasy, shaky. She knew she would break even more, and she couldn't do that in front of Akane. Akane eyed her curiously, knowing something was wrong, but nodded regardless.

"Sure!" Akane said. Sakura nodded, taking a bobby pin from her own hair and placing it in her mouth, before combing Akane's long bangs to one side. She then took the bobby pin and pinned it in her hair, in hopes to keep her bangs at bay and in one side. Sakura took a moment to look at her handy work, before noticing the stray hair that failed to get pinned before she tried to comb said strand.

"Sarada-chan says she wants to be Hokage. And I guess… that would mean I wouldn't have a chance here, given my situation…" Akane started, breaking Sakura out of her concentration. "Still, my Mama and Papa taught me to never give up, so I will still become Hokage no matter what! That is my dream!" she declared, her eyes boring determination and her smile bringing warmth.

Sarada and Akane were very similar, in terms of their dream of being Hokage.

They both had Naruto's will, it would seem. Sakura smiled, a sad yet knowing smile at the thought.

"I don't doubt it. I have faith in both of you."

.

 _AN:_ If you would like to see how Akane looks before and after (along with her younger self), I posted them up on the Heaven and Earth forum. I also posted it on the Advancers forum. If you need specifics on where to find them, just pm me/review! ^_^

" _There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed"_ — Ernest Hemingway – basically me, writing this chapter, except replace typewriter with laptop (this was the hardest, but most enjoyable one yet for me to write). xD

Since I'm almost to 200 reviews, I'll do something special for whoever is my 200th reviewer (as in either a request oneshot/something pertaining to this story/something along those lines). xD

Any feedback/if you could tell me what you think/if you have any questions, I would really appreciate it! :D Thanks everyone!

Update: **I feel weird having a whole chapter 7 just dedicated to a whole AN without an actual update, and I don't want to review my own story to respond to everyone in the comment section, because that would be a little weird to do lol, but please hear me out when I make this tl;dr author's note.**

I wanted to address a few anonymous reviewers since they don't have accounts (or are too lazy to log in?).

So, my mind set for this chapter was dealing with Sakura. As I stated before, I didn't explain exactly how Naruto and Sakura got together in Akane's world yet, or how exactly things came to be. No, it is not all Sakura's fault. No, it's not all Sasuke's fault. What I've been trying to do (and I suppose haven't succeeded in), was showing that not one person is to blame. The blame goes around to everyone. But not everyone can take the full blame for what is going on. That is the main thing I was trying to do. It's not solely Sakura's fault. It's not solely Sasuke's fault. It's not solely Naruto's fault. I just want to clarify, that a lot of this was in Akane's and Sakura's perspective. So, in Sakura's perspective, Sakura would definitely blame herself more than anything for everything that's happened. But of course, it's not all her fault, but that's just how she _feels._ It's like a lot of people blaming Naruto before because of the whole Naruto-Hinata situation (which makes sense I hope, since that portion was in his perspective). There's a lot of blame to go around, but in the perspective of the character I'm writing about, they're going to feel that it's their fault depending on how they look at it.

And I apologize that this doesn't completely follow the Gaiden. My reasoning for keeping Karin the mother in this, is because that is one of the main reasons I initially wrote this story. The Gaiden annoyed me, that the whole premise was, "who's the mommy?" It just made me sad for Sakura and Sarada because it just showed how messed up their situation was (like really? Sakura didn't know if Sasuke wore glasses? Is this for real?). This was kind of my response to that (this was also started in the middle of Gaiden, before it was revealed that Sakura was the mother), but it was still frustrating when I first read the chapters. But yeah, I had a lot of this planned out before that happened, so I apologize that it doesn't follow the canon completely. I apologize, but I hope you guys understand.

Also, as an anonymous reviewer said, I kind of go with what Sai said (in one of the chapters), that adding the "-kun" to Naruto's name would be really weird and wouldn't actually mean affection, but be more formal (especially if she suddenly started using it). I think her just saying Naruto would show how close she is with him. But yeah. That's my reasoning, and why I don't do that (in any of my stories actually). It kind of bothers me when she does say "Naruto-kun" in stories because it just doesn't feel right haha.

Regardless, I was blown away by all the comments I was receiving, along with all the comments people were having with each other in the review section. I absolutely love that you guys are having conversations and interpreting things differently, and giving your own thoughts and information to each other. That's actually really cool to see, and it honestly helps so much because reading everyone's comments and thoughts about the story help me improve and help me add and make this story better. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for everyone commenting and sharing their opinions on how they feel about the chapters. I hope the fact that there are so many people having different perspectives etc., shows that I'm doing a good job at creating nuance etc. Maybe not but that is what I'm hoping for when writing this.

And since I'm already adding a lot with this way too long tl;dr post, I thought I might warn you guys, that next chapter, I'm going into more of that rage I had when first reading the Gaiden/ending. Admittedly, I wrote certain parts long before, so I don't know if it fits anymore with the overall theme of the story, but I still want to include it because… well, it's therapeutic for me (its mainly some of the stuff about the Naruto world in general, so it does kind of tie). I'm just asking you guys to trust me on this one, I'll keep doing what I can to give these characters depth (as much as I can/ been doing haha).

Also, as far as I know, you don't have to make an account on either of those sites to see those doodles haha. Also, I _might_ make it longer than the initial 8 chapters (don't quote me on that)!

 **THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE SUPPORT (especially to those who actually read this lol)!** Wouldn't blame you if you didn't (My new goal is to keep these AN's as concise and to the point as possible in the future). If you want to PM me/ review if you haven't already about anything I've said or want to discuss it further, I'd be happy to! ^^

Also, Nosferatu, you're the 200th reviewer. So if you have a request for another story or something, I'd be happy to do it (if you even want haha, if you don't that's cool too). I don't know if you have an actual account or anything like that, but if you'd like something please let me know however you can reach me (as of right now I think it's just review, but I have forums you can reach me from or, if you are able to make an account where I can pm you, you can pm me, that would be cool as well).


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